Ben Elbert Douglas Sr.

{{short description|American politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | order = | office = Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina | term_start = 1935 | term_end = 1941 | predecessor = Arthur E. Wearn | successor = E. McA. Currie | birth_date = {{Birth date|1894|9|3}} | birth_place = Iredell County, North Carolina | death_date = {{death date and age|1981|7|27|1894|9|3}} | death_place = Charlotte, North Carolina | alma_mater = | profession = | spouse = | party = Democratic | resting_place = Elmwood Cemetery }}

'''Benjamin Elbert Douglas Sr.''' (September 3, 1894 – July 27, 1981) was the mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina from 1935 to 1941. He administered the construction of an airport for Charlotte. Charlotte Douglas International Airport, as the airport is named today, was named after him in 1954. He also used New Deal funds to complete American Legion Memorial Stadium and to establish Charlotte Memorial Hospital, later renamed Carolinas Medical Center.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hanchett |first=Tom |date=2021-06-03 |title=Building History: Ben Douglas, Groundbreaker |url=https://www.charlottemagazine.com/building-history-ben-douglas-groundbreaker/ |access-date=2025-09-16 |website=Charlotte Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> A Democrat, he was also the first mayor of Charlotte who was directly elected by voters pursuant to a change in the city charter.

==Biography== Douglas was born in Iredell County, North Carolina on September 3, 1894. He served in the United States Army during World War I.

In 1946 Ben Douglas founded Douglas Furs, after Franklin D. Roosevelt asked a personal favor of Ben Sr. – to find a way to clean the fleece-lined fur-trimmed flight jackets for the soldiers flying in the then current war in Europe. He used his knowledge gained in the dry cleaning business (he owned one in Charlotte prior) and his ingenuity gained him a government contract and later a thriving business in the fur trade.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Us|url=http://www.douglasfurs.com/about.html|publisher=Douglas Furs, Inc.|accessdate=October 24, 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929022832/http://www.douglasfurs.com/about.html|archivedate=September 29, 2007}}</ref> Douglas also was the relentless lobbyist for the now well-traveled Independence Boulevard. Mary Louise Douglas (his widow) continued to work at Douglas Furs 3 days a week until her death on December 29, 2007. The store is lined with historical text, newspaper articles of his election, and pictures of Ben and his accomplishments.

Douglas directed the North Carolina Department of Conservation and Development from 1953 to 1955. In 1956, Douglas unsuccessfully ran for Congress.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/findingaids/douglasben/#collectionoverview|title=Ben e. Douglas, Sr. Papers, 1935-1981 and undated, bulk 1953-1980 - Archives & Manuscripts at Duke University Libraries}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/douglas.html#0IK12QTH4 Political Graveyard] *[http://charlottenc.gov/Mayor/PastMayors/Pages/BenDouglas.aspx Ben E. Douglas (1935–1941)] – City of Charlotte website.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Ben Elbert Sr.}} Category:1894 births Category:1981 deaths Category:20th-century mayors of places in North Carolina Category:Mayors of Charlotte, North Carolina Category:North Carolina Democrats Category:People from Iredell County, North Carolina Category:United States Army personnel of World War I