Janet Gray Hayes (July 12, 1926 – April 21, 2014) was the 60th mayor of San Jose, California, elected to two consecutive, four-year terms from 1975 to 1983. She was both the first woman to be elected mayor San Jose, and the first woman elected mayor of a major U.S. city with a population of more than 500,000 people.[2][3]
Janet Gray Hayes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 60th Mayor of San Jose, California | |
| In office January 9, 1975 – January 9, 1983 | |
| Preceded by | Norman Mineta |
| Succeeded by | Tom McEnery |
| Vice Mayor of San Jose | |
| In office 1973–1974 | |
| San Jose City Councilor[1] | |
| In office 1971–1974 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 12, 1926 Rushville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | April 21, 2014 (aged 87) Saratoga, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Indiana State University |
| Alma mater | Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice |
Born in Rushville, Indiana, Hayes went to University of Chicago and then received her bachelor's degree from Indiana University.[4] In 1956, Hayes and her husband moved to San Jose, California where her husband practiced medicine.
Hayes was elected to the San Jose City Council in 1971[5] In 1973, she was voted by the city council to serve as the city's vice mayor, becoming the first woman to hold that position.[6] In 1974, she was elected mayor of the city. She was reelected in 1978. She was a Democrat and campaigned as an environmentalist and wanted to fight Urban sprawl in San Jose.[4]
She died of a stroke on April 26, 2014, in Saratoga, California.[3]
References
edit- ^ Heppler, Jason (5 April 2016). "San Jose City Council Members". notebook.jasonheppler.org.
- ^ San Jose State University's Online Archive of California, "Guide to the Janet Gray Hayes Papers," (retrieved August 20, 2010).
- ^ a b Lundstrom, Mack (2014-04-21). "San Jose's first female mayor, Janet Gray Hayes, has died at 87". San Jose Mercury News. Archived from the original on 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
- ^ a b "Janet Gray Hayes". Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
- ^ West, Don (21 Oct 1974). "San Jose's fight for mayor It's the lady and the cop". Newspapers.com. The San Francisco Examiner at Newspapers.com. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "R-ville Woman San Jose Vice Mayor". Newspapers.com. Rushville Republican. 20 Jul 1973. Retrieved 5 July 2021.