William W. Gullett
| William W. Gullett | |
|---|---|
| 1st Prince George's County Executive | |
| In office 1971–1974 | |
| Succeeded by | Winfield Kelly |
| Constituency | Prince George's County, Maryland |
| 3rd Mayor of College Park, Maryland | |
| In office 1963–1969 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 11, 1922 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Jaunita Hammons (1924–1987) |
| Children | William Waitman, Jr. (1946–1969); Thomas Christopher (1958); Michele Lynn (1965) and Nicole Elaine (1965) |
William Waitman Gullett (born October 11, 1922)[1] served as the first County Executive of Prince George's County, Maryland from 1971 to 1974. He had previously served three terms as the Mayor of College Park from 1963 to 1969,[2] a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of Maryland, 1967–68[3] and a Presidential Elector for Maryland in 1972.[2]
Gullett was born in Springfield, Illinois to parents Noah and Clara Virgin (Willett) Gullett. He married Helen Jaunita Hammons in Springfield on March 20, 1943. Their first son, William Jr., was born in St. Louis, Missouri, followed by Christopher and twin daughters, Michele and Nicole, in Washington, D.C.[1] Gullett's son, William, was shot and killed on February 16, 1969, as a young Prince George's County police officer.[4]
Gullett served in the US Army Air Corps in World War II as a B17 pilot based in England. On his return to civilian life he became a chemical engineer and was interested in metallurgy. Gullett holds 21 US patents in the area.
Gullett was elected as County Executive in a 1971 special election to choose the county's first executive under the new home rule charter, defeating one Republican and five Democratic candidates. Although initially supported by a broad coalition of Republicans and a pro-charter, anti-development group led by local activist Julian C. Holmes, he lost support because of perceived poor performance and constant conflict with the Democratic-controlled County Council. He lost his bid for reelection in 1974 when the Prince George's County Democratic Party swept Republicans from power, defeating every Republican running for state or local office.
On leaving office, Gullett was asked to serve in a USAID mission and did so, working as the Assistant Director for Management in Haiti as of 1984.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "William Waitman Gullett (Sr.)". gullettnet.com. NetworkUS. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "William W. Gullett, County Executive, Prince George's County, Maryland". Maryland State Archives. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Maryland Constitutional Convention of 1967–1968". Maryland State Archives. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Police Officer William W. Gullett, Jr., Prince George's County Police Department". The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Current Roster of AID Management Personnel and Positions Overseas" (PDF). SERLETTER (Washington, D.C.: Agency for International Development) (1): 21. January 1984. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
Further reading
- Colen, B.D. "Gullett Seeks Re-election As County Executive; Gullett Files for Re-Election As Executive of Pr. George's". The Washington Post 1974-06-25, C1.
- Krause, Charles A., and Harold J. Logan. "Pr. George's Democrats Win; Kelly Takes Executive Post". The Washington Post 1974-11-06, A13.
- Landers, Jim. "Winfield Kelly to Run For County Executive". The Washington Post 1974-03-20, B7.
| Preceded by None |
Prince George's County, Maryland Executive 1971–1974 |
Succeeded by Winfield M. Kelly, Jr. |