Arthur Teele facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arthur Teele
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Art Teele as Miami-Dade County Commissioner
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| Administrator, Urban Mass Transportation Administration | |
| In office 1981–1983 |
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| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Theodore C. Lutz |
| Succeeded by | Ralph L. Stanley |
| Miami-Dade County Commissioner | |
| In office 1993–1996 |
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| Constituency | Miami-Dade County, Florida |
| City Commissioner, Miami, Florida | |
| In office 1998–2005 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | May 14, 1946 |
| Died | July 27, 2005 (aged 59) |
| Political party | Republican |
Arthur E. "Art" Teele Jr. (May 14, 1946 – July 27, 2005) was an American lawyer and politician. He was a member of the Republican Party. In the early 1980s, he led the Urban Mass Transportation Administration. This agency is now called the Federal Transit Administration.
Art Teele was born into a well-off family in Florida. He received a great education. He served as an officer in the US Army. Later, he had a successful career in law and politics. He faced some legal challenges during his life. However, after his death, his case was appealed. His conviction was overturned, meaning he was cleared of all charges.
Art Teele married Celestra Patton Teele. They had one son, Arthur Patton Teele. Later, he married Stephanie K. Teele. He was married to Stephanie at the time of his death.
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Arthur Teele's Early Career
Military Service and Law School
After finishing law school, Art Teele joined the military. He served in the US Army. He worked as a Judge Advocate General. This means he was a military lawyer. He was on the personal staff of General Henry E. Emerson. General Emerson commanded the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg. Teele served there from July 1975 to June 1977. He earned his law degree from Florida State University College of Law.
Working for Civil Rights
After leaving the US Army, Teele helped with an important case. He offered free legal services, known as pro bono, to the Wilmington Ten. This was a major civil rights case in the 1970s. Teele met with the lawyers for the Wilmington Ten. He also spoke with staff from the North Carolina Attorney General's office.
In 1980, federal courts ordered a new trial for the Wilmington Ten. The Attorney General dropped all charges. This happened after appeals from Teele and others. The Wilmington Ten were then set free.
Private Law Practice
After his military service, Teele returned to Florida. He worked as a private lawyer. He became the attorney for Bill France, Sr.. France was the founder of NASCAR. Teele also worked with Interpol in Europe. He helped them with investigations into organized crime. He also assisted with international homicide cases.
Arthur Teele's Political Journey
Leading a Federal Agency
In March 1981, President Ronald Reagan chose Art Teele for a big role. He appointed Teele to lead the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA). This job was called Administrator of UMTA. Today, this agency is known as the FTA. Teele served as UMTA Administrator from April 1981 to June 1983.
Serving Miami-Dade County
In March 1993, Teele was elected as a Miami-Dade County Commissioner. He served in Miami, Florida. He also became the chairman of the Commission. In 1996, he left the county commission. He decided to run for mayor of Miami-Dade County.
He supported Bob Dole in the 1996 presidential primaries. This connection was discussed in the African-American community. Teele was one of the top two candidates in the election. However, he was narrowly defeated in a runoff election by Alex Penelas.
Miami City Commissioner
In November 1997, he was elected again. This time, he became a city commissioner for the city of Miami. He served a four-year term. Later, due to legal issues, he was removed from office. This happened on March 2, 2005, by Governor Jeb Bush. As mentioned earlier, his conviction was later overturned.
