William G. Enloe

William Gillmore Enloe (15 June 1902 – 22 November 1972)^[3][4] was the Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1957–1963.^[5] Enloe was a member of the Democratic Party. William G. Enloe High School, the first integrated public high school in Raleigh, was named after him. He was mayor when the school opened in 1962.^[6][7]

Prior to serving as mayor of Raleigh, Enloe worked as a district manager for Wilby-Kincey Theaters.^[8] He was still affiliated with the theaters during his term as mayor. As mayor, Enloe dealt with sit-ins at lunch counters and other pro-integration demonstrations.^[9] Among the targets of some demonstrators were movie theaters owned by the chain for which Enloe worked as district manager, which were designed to accommodate Jim Crow era segregation, with separate seating arrangements. Enloe resisted the efforts to integrate the theater. In response to the civil rights movement and to avoid violence, Mayor Enloe created a biracial Committee of One Hundred.^[10] He was considered moderate on the issue of race relations.

Enloe died at Rex Hospital in Raleigh. He is buried in Raleigh's Historic Oakwood Cemetery.

See also

• Needham B. Broughton

References