Atlanta Rewind: A look at Mayor William Hartsfield

Atlanta's longest-serving mayor
Gorilla his dreams
Leading through tragedy
New era of growth
Hollywood comes to Atlanta
USS Atlanta remembered
Mapping out Buford Dam
Welcoming Lady Bird
Somber ceremony
Big bond rally
High hats
A fine legacy
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This January 1961 photo marks the beginning of a new era and the closing of an older one for the city of Atlanta as Mayor-nominee Ivan Allen Jr. (left) and Mayor William B. Hartsfield share a laugh. Born March 1, 1890, in Atlanta, William Hartsfield served as the city's mayor longer than anyone else -- for a total of 23 years, starting in 1936. He shepherded his hometown through the Depression and nascent Civil Rights era. When Allen succeeded Hartsfield, he took up the former mayor's work of leading Atlanta out of the Jim Crow era.