Richard Henry Fonville (April 30, 1882 – December 13, 1954) was an American politician and pharmacist who served as the 46th Mayor of Houston from 1937 to 1939.[1]

Richard H. Fonville
46th Mayor of Houston
In office
January 2, 1937 – January 2, 1939
Preceded byOscar F. Holcombe
Succeeded byOscar F. Holcombe
Personal details
Born(1882-04-30)April 30, 1882
Texas, U.S.
DiedDecember 13, 1954(1954-12-13) (aged 72)
Eagle Lake, Texas, U.S.
Spouse
Clara McCormick
(m. 1926)

Mayoralty

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Fonville defeated incumbent Oscar F. Holcombe and took office in 1937.[2] During his term as mayor, the City of Houston Fire Station No. 11 was built. Today, it is the only historic Art Deco-style fire station remaining in Houston and one of the last remaining examples of civic architecture in Houston dating from the early 20th century.[2] In 1938, Fonville announced a roundup of the prostitutes in Houston at the old Jefferson Davis Hospital, the purpose of this act was to check for venereal diseases.[3] On July 30, 1938, he renamed the Houston Municipal Airport as the "Howard Hughes Airport" as part of the welcoming ceremony at the Houston Hughes homecoming.[4]

Personal life

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Fonville married Clara McCormick in 1926.[5] He died at his Eagle Lake hunting lodge of a heart ailment on December 13, 1954.[6] In 1960, Fonville Middle School in Houston was posthumously named after him.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "School Information / History of Fonville Middle School". Fonville Middle School. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Protected Landmark Designation Report" (PDF). Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  3. ^ Gonzales, G.R. (September 30, 2015). "Downtown as it looked from above in 1938". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  4. ^ "Houston's mayors: A complete timeline from 1837 to now". Houston Chronicle. November 3, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  5. ^ "Clara M. Fonville". The Galveston Daily News. December 6, 1994. p. 4.
  6. ^ "Ex-mayor expires". Corsicana Daily Sun. December 13, 1954. p. 11.
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Fonville on FindAGrave

Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Houston
1937–1939
Succeeded by