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{{Short description|American politician}}
{{Short description|American politician (1922–2019)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
| image=
| image=Lila Cockrell.jpg
| title=[[Mayor of San Antonio]]
| title=[[Mayor of San Antonio]]
| term_start=June 1, 1989
| term_start=June 1, 1989
Line 19: Line 19:
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1922|1|19}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1922|1|19}}
| birth_place = [[Fort Worth, Texas]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Fort Worth, Texas]], U.S.
| political_party = [[Republican]]
| death_date= {{Death date and age|2019|8|29|1922|1|19}}
| death_date= {{Death date and age|2019|8|29|1922|1|19}}
| death_place=[[San Antonio, Texas]], U.S.
| death_place=[[San Antonio, Texas]], U.S.
| party= [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|resting_place=Mission Burial Park North <br/> [[San Antonio, Texas]]
| party=
| spouse = {{marriage|Sidney Earl Cockrell Jr.|1941|1986|reason=died}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Sidney Earl Cockrell Jr.|1941|1986|reason=died}}
| children= 2
| children= 2
|alma_mater =[[Southern Methodist University]]
|alma_mater =[[Southern Methodist University]]
|allegiance={{flag|United States}}
|allegiance= United States
|branch= {{flag|United States Navy|23px}} <br/>[[WAVES]]
|branch= United States Navy<br/>[[WAVES]]
|rank= [[Ensign (rank)|Ensign]]
|rank= [[Ensign (rank)|Ensign]]
|battles= [[World War II]]
|battles= [[World War II]]
Line 35: Line 33:
| footnotes=
| footnotes=
}}
}}
'''Lila May Banks Cockrell''' (January 19, 1922 – August 29, 2019) was an American politician, registered Republican, who served twice as mayor of [[San Antonio, Texas]]. During [[World War II]], she served in the [[WAVES]] branch of the [[United States Navy]]. She served as President of the [[Dallas]] and San Antonio chapters of the [[League of Women Voters]] during the 1950s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lila Cockrell Records|url=http://www.sanantonio.gov/clerk/Archives/FindingAids%5Clila-cockrell-records-1977-1991%20dg.pdf|work=Municipal Archives and Records|publisher=City of San Antonio|access-date=August 12, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Judith A. Leavitt |title=American Women Managers and Administrators: A Selective Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-century Leaders in Business, Education, and Government |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1985 |page=47 |isbn=9780313237485 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jk_uzzu36rgC&q=Lila+Cockrell+1922&pg=PA47}}</ref>
'''Lila May Banks Cockrell''' (January 19, 1922 – August 29, 2019) was an American politician who served twice as mayor of [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]]. During [[World War II]], she served in the [[WAVES]] branch of the [[United States Navy]]. She served as President of the [[Dallas]] and San Antonio chapters of the [[League of Women Voters]] during the 1950s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lila Cockrell Records|url=http://www.sanantonio.gov/clerk/Archives/FindingAids%5Clila-cockrell-records-1977-1991%20dg.pdf|work=Municipal Archives and Records|publisher=City of San Antonio|access-date=August 12, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Judith A. Leavitt |title=American Women Managers and Administrators: A Selective Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-century Leaders in Business, Education, and Government |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1985 |page=47 |isbn=9780313237485 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jk_uzzu36rgC&q=Lila+Cockrell+1922&pg=PA47}}</ref>


==Political career==
==Political career==
After serving for a decade on the city council, including her 1969 service as the city's first woman mayor [[Pro tempore|Pro Tem]], Cockrell was elected in 1975 to the first of four two-year terms as Mayor of San Antonio. At the time of her inauguration, San Antonio's population gave her the status of the mayor over the largest American city being governed by a woman. She is often listed as the first woman in the [[United States]] to be elected mayor of a major metropolis. However, [[Bertha Knight Landes]] was mayor of [[Seattle]] 1926–1928.<ref>{{cite web|last=Stein|first=Alan J|title=Bertha Landes is elected mayor of Seattle on March 9, 1926.|url=http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=1980|publisher=HistoryLink.org|access-date=August 12, 2013|date=March 1, 2000}}</ref> Cockrell's first three terms ran consecutively 1975–1981. At the end of her third term, she chose not to run because of the illness of her husband Sidney Earl Cockrell Jr.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ivins|first=Molly|title=Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?|year=2010|publisher=Vintage eBooks|location=New York|isbn=978-0-3074-3441-8|pages=203, 204|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ujpuujMJv-0C&q=grandma+mayor+%22lila+cockrell%22&pg=PA203}}</ref> She was succeeded by [[Henry Cisneros]].
After serving for a decade on the city council, including her 1969 service as the city's first woman mayor [[Pro tempore|Pro Tem]], Cockrell was elected in 1975 to the first of four two-year terms as Mayor of San Antonio. At the time of her inauguration, San Antonio's population gave her the status of the mayor over the largest American city being governed by a woman. She is often listed as the first woman in the [[United States]] to be elected mayor of a major metropolis. However, [[Bertha Knight Landes]] was mayor of [[Seattle]] 1926–1928.<ref>{{cite web|last=Stein|first=Alan J|title=Bertha Landes is elected mayor of Seattle on March 9, 1926.|url=http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=1980|publisher=HistoryLink.org|access-date=August 12, 2013|date=March 1, 2000}}</ref> Cockrell's first three terms ran consecutively 1975–1981. At the end of her third term, she chose not to run because of the illness of her husband Sidney Earl Cockrell Jr.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ivins|first=Molly|title=Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?|year=2010|publisher=Vintage eBooks|location=New York|isbn=978-0-3074-3441-8|pages=203, 204|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ujpuujMJv-0C&q=grandma+mayor+%22lila+cockrell%22&pg=PA203}}</ref> She was succeeded by [[Henry Cisneros]].
Widowed in 1986, she was elected to her fourth term as mayor in 1989 when Cisneros left office.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Petty|first=Kathleen|magazine=San Antonio Magazine|date=March 29, 2013|title=Lila Cockrell Interview|url=http://www.sanantoniomag.com/SAM-Says/Winter-2013/Lila-Cockrell/|access-date=August 12, 2013}}</ref> Lila Cockrell was a registered Republican her entire life.
Widowed in 1986, she was elected to her fourth term as mayor in 1989 when Cisneros left office.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Petty|first=Kathleen|magazine=San Antonio Magazine|date=March 29, 2013|title=Lila Cockrell Interview|url=http://www.sanantoniomag.com/SAM-Says/Winter-2013/Lila-Cockrell/|access-date=August 12, 2013}}</ref> Lila Cockrell was a registered Republican.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Marini|first=Richard A.|date=2019-01-02|title=Lila Cockrell, San Antonio's first female mayor, looks back on her life in politics|url=https://www.expressnews.com/lifestyle/article/Lila-Cockrell-San-Antonio-s-first-female-13503558.php|access-date=2021-07-13|website=San Antonio Express-News|language=en-US}}</ref>


==Retirement==
==Retirement==
After retiring from political office, Cockrell served on many municipal commissions and civic boards.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lila Cockrell|url=http://www.saparksfoundation.org/PDF/Lila_Cockrell-Bio_res.pdf|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20100524174621/http://www.saparksfoundation.org/PDF/Lila_Cockrell-Bio_res.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 24, 2010|publisher=San Antonio Parks Foundation|access-date=August 12, 2013}}</ref> In 2013, she retired as president of the San Antonio Parks Foundation, a position she had held since 1998.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Petty|first=Kathleen|title=Lila Cockrell The 91-year-old former mayor retires to write, not slow down|magazine=San Antonio Magazine|date=April 2013|url=http://www.sanantoniomag.com/SAM/April-2013/Lila-Cockrell/|access-date=August 12, 2013}}</ref>
After retiring from political office, Cockrell served on many municipal commissions and civic boards.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lila Cockrell|url=http://www.saparksfoundation.org/PDF/Lila_Cockrell-Bio_res.pdf|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20100524174621/http://www.saparksfoundation.org/PDF/Lila_Cockrell-Bio_res.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 24, 2010|publisher=San Antonio Parks Foundation|access-date=August 12, 2013}}</ref> In 2013, she retired as president of the San Antonio Parks Foundation, a position she had held since 1998.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Petty|first=Kathleen|title=Lila Cockrell The 91-year-old former mayor retires to write, not slow down|magazine=San Antonio Magazine|date=April 2013|url=http://www.sanantoniomag.com/SAM/April-2013/Lila-Cockrell/|access-date=August 12, 2013}}</ref>


⚫
On May 29, 2019 Cockrell was forbidden to vote in the [[2019 San Antonio mayoral election]] because she lacked the required identification under [[Texas]] ID laws.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2019/05/30/respected-former-san-antonio-mayor-lila-cockrell-turned-away-at-polls |access-date=30 December 2019|title=Respected Former San Antonio Mayor Lila Cockrell Turned Away at Polls}}</ref> Many people in the [[San Antonio]] community as well as politicians such as [[Pete Buttigieg]] were outraged that Cockrell was forbidden to cast her ballot. The incident started up a controversy about [[Texas]] voter ID laws.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pete Buttigieg |url=https://www.facebook.com/petebuttigieg1/posts/2467547309931616?comment_id=2467825886570425&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D |website=www.facebook.com |access-date=30 December 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=McGuinness |first1=Dylan |title=San Antonio leaders, residents outraged after former mayor Lila Cockrell isn't allowed to vote |url=https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/politics/article/Former-San-Antonio-mayor-Lila-Cockrell-turned-13906697.php |website=San Antonio Express-News |access-date=30 December 2019 |date=31 May 2019}}</ref> On May 31, 2019, Cockrell cast her vote in the election.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dimmick |first1=Iris |title=Former Mayor Lila Cockrell Casts Ballot After ID Snag |url=https://therivardreport.com/former-mayor-lila-cockrell-casts-her-vote-in-runoff-election/ |website=Rivard Report |access-date=30 December 2019 |date=31 May 2019}}</ref>
Cockrell was a member of the Hot Wells Conservancy Board, which is working with the Bexar County Commissioners Court to restore the former [[Hot Wells (San Antonio, Texas)|Hot Well]]s hotel, [[spa]], and [[Public bathing|bathhouses]], which flourished in the first two decades of the 20th century. It is located along the [[San Antonio River]] in the southside of the city.<ref>{{cite news |author=John W. Gonzalez |title=Hot Wells poised to spring alive again: County OKs first phase of improvements for new park |newspaper=[[San Antonio Express-News]] |date=October 10, 2015 |pages=1, A12}}</ref>

⚫
On May 29, 2019 Cockrell was denied to vote in the [[2019 San Antonio mayoral election]] because she lacked the required identification under [[Texas]] ID laws.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2019/05/30/respected-former-san-antonio-mayor-lila-cockrell-turned-away-at-polls |access-date=30 December 2019}}</ref> Many people in the [[San Antonio]] community as well as politicians such as [[Pete Buttigieg]] were outraged that Cockrell was denied to cast her ballot. The incident started up a controversy about [[Texas]] voter ID laws.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pete Buttigieg |url=https://www.facebook.com/petebuttigieg1/posts/2467547309931616?comment_id=2467825886570425&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D |website=www.facebook.com |access-date=30 December 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=McGuinness |first1=Dylan |title=San Antonio leaders, residents outraged after former mayor Lila Cockrell isn't allowed to vote |url=https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/politics/article/Former-San-Antonio-mayor-Lila-Cockrell-turned-13906697.php |website=San Antonio Express-News |access-date=30 December 2019 |date=31 May 2019}}</ref> On May 31, 2019, Cockrell cast her vote in the election.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dimmick |first1=Iris |title=Former Mayor Lila Cockrell Casts Ballot After ID Snag |url=https://therivardreport.com/former-mayor-lila-cockrell-casts-her-vote-in-runoff-election/ |website=Rivard Report |access-date=30 December 2019 |date=31 May 2019}}</ref>


===Death===
===Death===
Cockrell's Health declined in the time leading up to her death. Cockrell died at the age of 97 under [[hospice care]] on August 29, 2019<ref>{{cite web |title=Lila May Banks Cockrell - View Obituary & Service Information |url=https://www.missionparks.com/obituaries/Lila-Cockrell/ |website=Lila May Banks Cockrell Obituary |access-date=30 December 2019 |language=en}}</ref> in her apartment in [[San Antonio, Texas]]. On September 3, 2019, a public visitation was held at Mission Park Funeral Chapel North. On September 5, 2019, a private memorial service and a public tribute were held at the [[Lila Cockrell Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dimmick |first1=Iris |title=San Antonio Political Pioneer Lila Cockrell Dies at 97 |url=https://therivardreport.com/san-antonio-political-pioneer-lila-cockrell-dies-at-97/ |website=Rivard Report |access-date=30 December 2019 |date=29 August 2019}}</ref> Her final burial place is Mission Burial Park North in San Antonio.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/202545462/lila-may-cockrell |access-date=20 January 2020}}</ref>
Cockrell's Health declined in the time leading up to her death. Cockrell died at the age of 97 under [[hospice care]] on August 29, 2019<ref>{{cite web |title=Lila May Banks Cockrell - View Obituary & Service Information |url=https://www.missionparks.com/obituaries/Lila-Cockrell/ |website=Lila May Banks Cockrell Obituary |access-date=30 December 2019 |language=en}}</ref> in her apartment in [[San Antonio, Texas]]. On September 3, 2019, a public visitation was held at Mission Park Funeral Chapel North. On September 5, 2019, a private memorial service and a public tribute were held at the [[Lila Cockrell Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dimmick |first1=Iris |title=San Antonio Political Pioneer Lila Cockrell Dies at 97 |url=https://therivardreport.com/san-antonio-political-pioneer-lila-cockrell-dies-at-97/ |website=Rivard Report |access-date=30 December 2019 |date=29 August 2019}}</ref>


==Honors==
==Honors==
[[Image:Lila Cockrell Theater, San Antonio, TX IMG 7601.JPG|200px|thumb|Lila Cockrell Theater in [[San Antonio, Texas]]]]
[[Image:Lila Cockrell Theater, San Antonio, TX IMG 7601.JPG|thumb|Lila Cockrell Theater in [[San Antonio, Texas]]]]
*The Lila Cockrell Theatre, named in her honor, is part of the [[Henry B. González Convention Center]] in [[Downtown San Antonio]]. Also, a meeting room at the Convention Center directly below the Theatre is named the Mayor Cockrell Room in her honor.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lila Cockrell Theatre|url=http://www.sahbgcc.com/default.asp?sanantonio=16|publisher=Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center|access-date=August 12, 2013}}</ref>
*The Lila Cockrell Theatre, named in her honor, is part of the [[Henry B. González Convention Center]] in [[Downtown San Antonio]]. Also, a meeting room at the Convention Center directly below the Theatre is named the Mayor Cockrell Room in her honor.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lila Cockrell Theatre|url=http://www.sahbgcc.com/default.asp?sanantonio=16|publisher=Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center|access-date=August 12, 2013}}</ref>
*She was inducted into the [[Texas Women's Hall of Fame]] in 1984.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lila May Banks Cockrell |url=http://www.twu.edu/twhf/honorees/lila-may-banks-cockrell/ |work=Texas Women's Hall of Fame |publisher=Texas Woman's University |access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref>
*She was inducted into the [[Texas Women's Hall of Fame]] in 1984.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lila May Banks Cockrell |url=http://www.twu.edu/twhf/honorees/lila-may-banks-cockrell/ |work=Texas Women's Hall of Fame |publisher=Texas Woman's University |access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref>
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[[Category:Women mayors of places in Texas]]
[[Category:Women mayors of places in Texas]]
[[Category:Women city councillors in Texas]]
[[Category:Women city councillors in Texas]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century American politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American women politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American women politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century mayors of places in Texas]]
⚫
[[Category:21st-century American women]]

Latest revision as of 03:58, 19 December 2024

Lila Cockrell
Mayor of San Antonio
In office
June 1, 1989 – June 1, 1991
Preceded byHenry Cisneros
Succeeded byNelson Wolff
In office
May 1, 1975 – May 1, 1981
Preceded byCharles L. Becker
Succeeded byHenry Cisneros
San Antonio City Councilwoman
In office
1973–1975
In office
1963–1970
Personal details
Born
Lila May Banks

(1922-01-19)January 19, 1922
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
DiedAugust 29, 2019(2019-08-29) (aged 97)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Sidney Earl Cockrell Jr.
​
​
(m. 1941; died 1986)​
Children2
Alma materSouthern Methodist University
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
WAVES
RankEnsign
Battles/warsWorld War II

Lila May Banks Cockrell (January 19, 1922 – August 29, 2019) was an American politician who served twice as mayor of San Antonio, Texas. During World War II, she served in the WAVES branch of the United States Navy. She served as President of the Dallas and San Antonio chapters of the League of Women Voters during the 1950s.[1][2]

Political career

[edit]

After serving for a decade on the city council, including her 1969 service as the city's first woman mayor Pro Tem, Cockrell was elected in 1975 to the first of four two-year terms as Mayor of San Antonio. At the time of her inauguration, San Antonio's population gave her the status of the mayor over the largest American city being governed by a woman. She is often listed as the first woman in the United States to be elected mayor of a major metropolis. However, Bertha Knight Landes was mayor of Seattle 1926–1928.[3] Cockrell's first three terms ran consecutively 1975–1981. At the end of her third term, she chose not to run because of the illness of her husband Sidney Earl Cockrell Jr.[4] She was succeeded by Henry Cisneros. Widowed in 1986, she was elected to her fourth term as mayor in 1989 when Cisneros left office.[5] Lila Cockrell was a registered Republican.[6]

Retirement

[edit]

After retiring from political office, Cockrell served on many municipal commissions and civic boards.[7] In 2013, she retired as president of the San Antonio Parks Foundation, a position she had held since 1998.[8]

On May 29, 2019 Cockrell was forbidden to vote in the 2019 San Antonio mayoral election because she lacked the required identification under Texas ID laws.[9] Many people in the San Antonio community as well as politicians such as Pete Buttigieg were outraged that Cockrell was forbidden to cast her ballot. The incident started up a controversy about Texas voter ID laws.[10][11] On May 31, 2019, Cockrell cast her vote in the election.[12]

Death

[edit]

Cockrell's Health declined in the time leading up to her death. Cockrell died at the age of 97 under hospice care on August 29, 2019[13] in her apartment in San Antonio, Texas. On September 3, 2019, a public visitation was held at Mission Park Funeral Chapel North. On September 5, 2019, a private memorial service and a public tribute were held at the Lila Cockrell Theatre.[14]

Honors

[edit]
Lila Cockrell Theater in San Antonio, Texas

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Lila Cockrell Records" (PDF). Municipal Archives and Records. City of San Antonio. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  2. ^ Judith A. Leavitt (1985). American Women Managers and Administrators: A Selective Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-century Leaders in Business, Education, and Government. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 47. ISBN 9780313237485.
  3. ^ Stein, Alan J (March 1, 2000). "Bertha Landes is elected mayor of Seattle on March 9, 1926". HistoryLink.org. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  4. ^ Ivins, Molly (2010). Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?. New York: Vintage eBooks. pp. 203, 204. ISBN 978-0-3074-3441-8.
  5. ^ Petty, Kathleen (March 29, 2013). "Lila Cockrell Interview". San Antonio Magazine. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  6. ^ Marini, Richard A. (2019-01-02). "Lila Cockrell, San Antonio's first female mayor, looks back on her life in politics". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  7. ^ "Lila Cockrell" (PDF). San Antonio Parks Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  8. ^ Petty, Kathleen (April 2013). "Lila Cockrell The 91-year-old former mayor retires to write, not slow down". San Antonio Magazine. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  9. ^ "Respected Former San Antonio Mayor Lila Cockrell Turned Away at Polls". Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  10. ^ "Pete Buttigieg". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  11. ^ McGuinness, Dylan (31 May 2019). "San Antonio leaders, residents outraged after former mayor Lila Cockrell isn't allowed to vote". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  12. ^ Dimmick, Iris (31 May 2019). "Former Mayor Lila Cockrell Casts Ballot After ID Snag". Rivard Report. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  13. ^ "Lila May Banks Cockrell - View Obituary & Service Information". Lila May Banks Cockrell Obituary. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  14. ^ Dimmick, Iris (29 August 2019). "San Antonio Political Pioneer Lila Cockrell Dies at 97". Rivard Report. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  15. ^ "Lila Cockrell Theatre". Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  16. ^ "Lila May Banks Cockrell". Texas Women's Hall of Fame. Texas Woman's University. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
[edit]
Preceded by Mayor of San Antonio
1989-1991 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Charles L. Becker
 Mayor of San Antonio
1975-1981 		Succeeded by
Henry G. Cisneros
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Lila_Cockrell&oldid=1263875405"