Thomas D'Alesandro III facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas D'Alesandro III
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| 44th Mayor of Baltimore | |
| In office December 1967 – December 1971 |
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| Preceded by | Theodore McKeldin |
| Succeeded by | William Donald Schaefer |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Ludwig John D'Alesandro III
July 24, 1929 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | October 20, 2019 (aged 90) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Margie Piracci
(m. 1952) |
| Children | 5 |
| Parents | Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. Annunciata Lombardi |
| Relatives | Nancy Pelosi (sister) |
| Education | Loyola University Maryland (BA) University of Maryland, Baltimore (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1952–1955 |
Thomas Ludwig John D'Alesandro III (born July 24, 1929 – died October 20, 2019) was an important American lawyer and politician. He served as the 44th mayor of Baltimore, a big city in Maryland, from 1967 to 1971. He was a member of the Democratic Party.
Before becoming mayor, he was the president of the Baltimore City Council from 1962 to 1967. During his time as mayor, a period of civil unrest known as the Baltimore riot of 1968 took place. Thomas D'Alesandro III came from a family involved in politics. His father, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., was the 41st mayor of Baltimore. His younger sister, Nancy Pelosi, later became a very famous politician. She was the 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the first woman to hold that powerful job.
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Growing Up and Early Career
Thomas D'Alesandro III was born in Baltimore. His parents were Annunciata Lombardi and Thomas D'Alesandro Jr.. He was the oldest of six children in his family. His youngest sister, Nancy, would later become a well-known leader.
He went to Loyola College in Baltimore. After that, he studied law at the University of Maryland School of Law. In 1952, he married Margaret "Margie" Piracci. Their wedding was a very large event, with over 5,000 people attending. From 1952 to 1955, he served in the United States Army.
After his time in the military, D'Alesandro decided to enter politics. In 1963, he became the president of the Baltimore City Council. As City Council president, he worked closely with Mayor Theodore McKeldin. Together, they tried to remove unfair barriers related to race in jobs, schools, and other parts of life.
Becoming Mayor of Baltimore
D'Alesandro ran for mayor in 1967. He was a candidate for the Democratic Party. He won the election easily against his Republican opponent, Arthur W. Sherwood. He won in every single voting area in the city.
As Baltimore's 44th mayor, he worked on many important projects. He helped open new schools and build a new police headquarters. He also strongly supported "open housing," which meant people of all races could live anywhere. D'Alesandro convinced the people of Baltimore to approve a large amount of money to build more schools.
He created fun summer programs for young people in the city. These included mobile swimming pools and day camps. He also started the plans for the Inner Harbor development. This area is now a very popular and modern part of Baltimore.
Challenges as Mayor
D'Alesandro's time as mayor was difficult due to civil unrest and money problems. In 1968, he changed the route of a planned highway. He later stopped the project completely. He also started a program to fix up empty homes for people who needed affordable housing.
Just four months after he became mayor, the Baltimore riot of 1968 began. This happened after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.. The governor of Maryland, Spiro Agnew, called in the National Guard to help control the situation.
D'Alesandro had promised to "root out every cause or vestige of discrimination." He was always proud of his efforts to promote civil rights. As mayor, he appointed many African-Americans to important positions in his government. Some of these individuals were the first African Americans to hold those jobs.
In 1971, D'Alesandro decided to step down as mayor. He retired from politics and started working as a private lawyer. Years later, he explained that the riots were not why he left politics. He said he had five children and his mayor's salary was not enough to support his family.
In 1998, Jack Eddinger, who used to work for D'Alesandro, wrote about him. He said that D'Alesandro was Baltimore's first "modern mayor." He believed that many good things Baltimore is known for today started during D'Alesandro's four years in office.
Later Life and Legacy
Thomas D'Alesandro III passed away on October 20, 2019, at the age of 90. He died at his home in North Baltimore after complications from a stroke.
His sister, Nancy Pelosi, spoke about him in December 2019. She said that his main goal was to "rid our society of every vestige of discrimination." This was his important message and what he worked for.
