Name Thomas Cummings, | ||
Thomas L. Cummings, Sr. (May 1, 1891 – March 29, 1968) was an American politician. He served as the Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 1938 to 1951.
Biography
Born on a farm near McMinnville, Tennessee, he was trained as a lawyer.
He won the election in 1938, and got reelected in 1939, 1943 and 1947.
In 1939, he appointed black banker James Carroll Napier to the Nashville Housing Authority. In 1940, he sent a police escort to Napier's funeral. In May 1948, he announced the hiring of seven black policemen to join the Nashville police force. He hastened to add they would only work in black neighborhoods, arguing they would be more qualified to keep the order in black neighborhoods. Further, they shared only one patrol car and weren't allowed to arrest white Nashvillians. Cummings died on March 29, 1968 in Nashville.
His son, Thomas L. Cummings, Jr., was a businessman and founder of Cummings Signs, a manufacturer of corporate brand signs for the Ford Motor Company, Chrysler, KFC, Captain D's, the Chevron Corporation, Conoco, Holiday Inn and Bank of America.