Joseph P. Riley Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joseph P. Riley Jr.
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| 60th Mayor of Charleston | |
| In office December 15, 1975 – January 11, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Arthur B. Schirmer Jr. |
| Succeeded by | John Tecklenburg |
| 44th President of the United States Conference of Mayors | |
| In office 1986–1987 |
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| Preceded by | Ernest Morial |
| Succeeded by | Richard Berkley |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Charleston County |
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| In office 1968–1974 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Joseph Patrick Riley Jr.
January 19, 1943 Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Charlotte |
| Children | Joe Bratton |
| Alma mater | The Citadel (BA) University of South Carolina, Columbia (JD) |
Joseph Patrick Riley Jr. (born January 19, 1943) is an American politician. He served as the 60th mayor of Charleston, South Carolina for 40 years, from 1975 to 2016. This was the longest time anyone had been mayor in Charleston's history. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming mayor, he also served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1968 to 1974. From 1986 to 1987, he was the 44th President of the United States Conference of Mayors.
Contents
Early Life and Political Start
Joseph P. Riley Jr. was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He went to The Citadel and graduated in 1964. Later, he studied law at the University of South Carolina School of Law, finishing in 1967.
He began his political career as a member of the Democratic Party. He was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives, where he served from 1968 to 1974.
Mayor of Charleston
In December 1975, Riley was elected as the mayor of Charleston. He was the second Irish Catholic person to hold this important job. He served for an amazing 10 terms, which is 40 years! He was very popular, winning his seventh term in 1999 with 71% of the votes. In 2003, he won his eighth term with 57% of the votes.
When the Confederate battle flag was flown above the South Carolina State House, Mayor Riley organized a five-day protest walk. This walk went from Charleston all the way to Columbia to ask for the flag to be removed. The march started on April 2, 2000, with about 600 people. The Confederate flag was finally removed from the South Carolina State House on July 10, 2015, after a sad event known as the Charleston church shooting.
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City Development
During Mayor Riley's time, Charleston grew a lot. He worked on many projects to improve the city.
Adding Land to the City
Mayor Riley helped the city of Charleston add many new areas, piece by piece. This process is called annexation. One of the biggest areas added was Daniel Island in 1990. Other areas included Cainhoy Plantation, Long Savannah, and the Neck Area.
Charleston Place Project
One of Mayor Riley's first big projects was to improve the city's main business area. In 1977, a plan was made to build a large hotel, shops, and a conference center. This project was first called the "Charleston Center." Some people were worried about how big the building would be. After some changes and legal steps, construction began in 1981. The project was renamed "Charleston Place" and opened on September 2, 1986. It cost about $75 million and helped bring new life to the city center.
Other Important Projects
In 1987, Mayor Riley supported more projects to help the city grow. These included a visitor center on Meeting Street and the beautiful Waterfront Park along the Cooper River. He helped the city buy the land for Waterfront Park at a good price.
Mayor Riley considered the International African American Museum his "most important work" as mayor. This museum is being built on the site of Gadsden's Wharf. This is a very important historical place where many enslaved Africans first arrived in the United States. Construction for this $75 million museum began in January 2020.
Charleston Sofa Super Store Fire
In 2007, a terrible fire happened at the Sofa Super Store. Nine Charleston firefighters sadly lost their lives when the building's roof collapsed. After this tragedy, Mayor Riley created a group of experts to investigate what happened. This group suggested many changes to improve the fire department.
Under Mayor Riley's guidance, the city bought the land where the store once stood. It was turned into a peaceful park to remember the firefighters.
Social Issues and Climate Change
Mother Emanuel Church Shooting
On June 17, 2015, Charleston faced its deadliest mass shooting at the Mother Emanuel Church. Mayor Riley was friends with some of the victims, including state senator Clementa C. Pinckney. He arrived at the scene quickly after being called by the police chief. After the shooting, Mayor Riley spoke about the tragedy. He said that "nine beautiful, loving people" were killed. He also called for stronger gun control laws, saying that it is "far too easy" to get guns.
Rising Sea Levels
Over the years Mayor Riley was in office, Charleston experienced more and more flooding from extreme weather events like hurricanes. This increase in flooding is due to global warming and sea level rise. Mayor Riley worked to create programs to manage flooding. Just before he left office, he released a plan called the Sea Level Rise Strategy to help the city prepare for future changes.
Other Activities
From 1986 to 1987, Mayor Riley was the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He also started the Mayors' Institute on City Design, which helps city leaders learn about good city planning. In 1994, he ran for Governor of South Carolina.
Riley is also a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition. This group works to make communities safer by trying to get illegal guns off the streets. He is also on the board that selects winners for the Jefferson Awards for Public Service.
Awards and Recognition
Mayor Riley received many awards for his work and leadership:
- Outstanding Mayors Award by the National Urban Coalition (1983)
- Distinguished Citizen Award by the National Association of Realtors
- South Carolina's Order of the Palmetto
- South Carolinian of the Year
- Verner Award by the South Carolina Arts Commission (1982)
- Municipal Leader of the Year by American City & County (1991)
- Thomas Jefferson Award from the American Institute of Architects for Public Architecture (1994)
- Seaside Prize from the Seaside Institute (1997)
- President's Award from the U. S. Conference of Mayors, for outstanding leadership (2000)
- Urban Land Institute J. C. Nichols Prize for Visionary Urban Development (2000)
- Named one of the twenty-five most dynamic mayors in America by Newsweek Magazine (1996)
- Recipient of The National Medal of Arts (2009) – Presented by President Barack Obama
See also
