20 Facts About Lou Ritter

Louis Hampton Ritter was an American politician and lobbyist.

Lou Ritter served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, from 1965 until 1967.

Lou Ritter served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, then attended the University of Florida where he served as student body president, graduating in 1950.

Lou Ritter decided to run for the Jacksonville City Council in early 1951, but was refused when he tried to file his intention with the clerk of the court, as he had been at school in Gainesville and not physically living in Duval County.

Lou Ritter filed suit to challenge the residency requirement and prevailed less than two weeks before the first primary.

Two years later, Lou Ritter was elected by his fellow councilmen as Council President.

Lou Ritter initiated the planning and pushed for the current Jacksonville International Airport.

Lou Ritter implemented a building code which required and enforced minimum housing standards.

In 1960, Ritter helped run John F Kennedy's presidential campaign in Florida.

The city council nominated Lou Ritter, then serving in the City Commission, to fill Burns' remaining term, and the county commission approved his appointment.

Jacksonville had a history of racial segregation and violence, but Lou Ritter was credited with keeping the fight over civil rights from tearing the city apart.

Lou Ritter was a progressive who supported the Civil Rights Movement and welcomed federal assistance for the city's urban renewal efforts.

Lou Ritter appointed blacks to city advisory boards, started the anti-poverty agency, Greater Jacksonville Economic Opportunity, and integrated the Jacksonville Police Department.

Lou Ritter was quoted in a 2002 interview for the Financial News and Daily Record:.

Lou Ritter was never implicated, but the prevailing mood in the city was anti-incumbent.

Lou Ritter ran for election for the 1967 term, but was defeated by Hans Tanzler, a local judge.

Lou Ritter worked for the Office of Economic Opportunity as Director Sargent Shriver's executive assistant during President Lyndon Johnson's administration.

Several prominent Jacksonvillians were indicted, including Lou Ritter, who was accused of accepting money illegally.

Lou Ritter suffered a heart attack in 2000 and received quadruple bypass surgery which slowed his pace, but only slightly.

Louis Ritter died at his home in Palm Valley on April 9,2010, after a battle with cancer.