Mary Estus Jones Webb

Mary Estus Jones Webb (May 14, 1924 – September 16, 1995) became Mayor-President of Baton Rouge in 1955 on the death of her husband, Jesse L. Webb Jr. in a plane crash. She was the first woman to serve as Mayor-President of Baton Rouge.[1]

Early life

Webb was born in Columbia, Louisiana on May 14, 1924, to James Melton Jones and Hattie Estus Head. She married Jesse Lynn Webb, Jr. and they had four children (Jesse Lynn, III, Leah Catherine (Forest), Charlotte Ann (Read), and James Clinton.

Tenure as Mayor-President

Her husband was only 29 when he was elected Mayor-President of Baton Rouge in 1952. Three years later, he died on April 28, 1956, when the aircraft he was flying in crashed while on final approach at Lansing, Michigan.[2] City-parish law allowed for a majority of the city-parish council to appoint a successor. She was informally offered the position on May 4 by then acting Mayor-President Frank J. McConnell and said she would accept it.[3] The city-parish council officially appointed her following a vote on May 9.[4] She did not seek election in her own right in 1956.[5]

Later years

She served as Sigma Pi Fraternity housemother at Louisiana State University for many years. Webb died on September 16, 1995, and was buried at Roselawn Cemetery in Baton Rouge.

References

  1. ^ Gallo, Andrea (December 28, 2016). "Decades before Sharon Weston Broome, Baton Rouge's first woman mayor overcame tragedy to lead". The Advocate. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  2. ^ "Three Die As Plane Falls Near Lansing". The Saginaw News. Associated Press. April 29, 1956. Retrieved February 10, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Webb's Wife Accepts Post". The Town Talk. Associated Press. May 5, 1956. Retrieved February 10, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Widow of Webb Named Baton Rouge Mayor". The Shreveport Journal. Associated Press. May 10, 1956. Retrieved February 10, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Baton Rouge Advocate, Obituary. September 18, 1995


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