# Steve Hettinger > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Steve_Hettinger > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Steve_Hettinger.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Hettinger > Source revision: 1263147430 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2011}} {{Infobox officeholder |name= Steve Hettinger |order= 65thBefore 1916, the office was known as "President" of the city council. Hettinger was the 9th to hold the title of "Mayor." |office= Mayor of Huntsville |term_start=1988 |term_end=1996 |predecessor=[Joe W. Davis](/source/Joe_W._Davis) |successor=[Loretta Spencer](/source/Loretta_Spencer) |party=[Democratic](/source/Democratic_Party_(U.S.)) |alma_mater=[Mississippi State University](/source/Mississippi_State_University)
[University of Alabama in Huntsville](/source/University_of_Alabama_in_Huntsville) |birth_date={{birth date and age|1945|8|25}} |birth_place=[Memphis, Tennessee](/source/Memphis%2C_Tennessee), U.S. }} '''Stephen Ray "Steve" Hettinger''' (born August 25, 1945) is an American politician who served as mayor of [Huntsville, Alabama](/source/Huntsville%2C_Alabama), from 1988 to 1996. During this period, Hettinger became particularly involved in leading the recovery of the city in the aftermath of the [Huntsville Tornado of 1989](/source/November_1989_Tornado_Outbreak). ==Early life== Stephen Ray Hettinger was born on August 25, 1945, in [Memphis, Tennessee](/source/Memphis%2C_Tennessee). He graduated from [Mississippi State University](/source/Mississippi_State_University), where he earned a Bachelor of Science in engineering in 1967, and moved to [Huntsville, Alabama](/source/Huntsville%2C_Alabama), shortly after. Hettinger worked in the space program while studying towards a Master of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering at the [University of Alabama in Huntsville](/source/University_of_Alabama_in_Huntsville), which he received in 1974. ==Career== In 1982, he successfully ran for a seat in the [Alabama House of Representatives](/source/Alabama_House_of_Representatives), defeating an incumbent. He left the House after winning the 1988 race for mayor of Huntsville, where he defeated five-term Mayor [Joe Davis](/source/Joe_W._Davis). While serving as Mayor in June 1990, Hettinger appealed to President [George H. W. Bush](/source/George_H._W._Bush) to restore the United States citizenship of [Arthur Rudolph](/source/Arthur_Rudolph), a former Nazi and [NASA](/source/NASA) scientist who had been brought to the United States under [Operation Paperclip](/source/Operation_Paperclip) and [denaturalized](/source/denaturalization) when his Nazi past resurfaced.{{cite book |last=Laney |first=Monique |date=2015 |title=German Rocketeers in the Heart of Dixie: Making Sense of the Nazi Past During the Civil Rights Era |location=New Haven and London |publisher=Yale University Press |page=174 |isbn=978-0-300-19803-4}} The appeal failed. In 1995, Hettinger decided not to seek a third term in 1996 election. He considered running as a Democrat for a [United States Senate](/source/United_States_Senate) seat being vacated by [Howell Heflin](/source/Howell_Heflin), but the primary went to [Roger Bedford, Jr.](/source/Roger_Bedford%2C_Jr.) and the seat ultimately was won by [Republican](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States)) [Jeff Sessions](/source/Jeff_Sessions). After leaving office, Hettinger returned to the private sector to co-found an engineering firm. ==Personal life== A noted ''[Star Trek](/source/Star_Trek)'' fan, Hettinger temporarily renamed the city "Star Trek, Alabama" for the colossal "Star Trek 30" Convention in 1996. Among the special guests were the lead actors of the [original cast](/source/Star_Trek%3A_The_Original_Series), actors from its spinoffs, and six Apollo astronauts. ==References== {{reflist|2|refs= {{cite news |publisher=City of Huntsville, Alabama |title=Huntsville's History of Mayors |url=http://www.huntsvilleal.gov/mayor/mayor_history.php |accessdate=September 12, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115072123/http://www.huntsvilleal.gov/mayor/mayor_history.php |archivedate=January 15, 2012 |df=mdy-all }} {{Cite news |first=Keith |last=Clines |title=Mayor considers senate campaign |newspaper=[The Huntsville Times](/source/The_Huntsville_Times) |pages=A1, A9 |date=May 5, 1995}} {{Cite news |first=Keith |last=Clines |title=Hettinger city's mayor since '88 |newspaper=[The Huntsville Times](/source/The_Huntsville_Times) |pages=S11, S59 |date=July 16, 1995}} {{Cite news |first=Keith |last=Clines |title=Hettinger city's mayor since '88 |newspaper=[The Huntsville Times](/source/The_Huntsville_Times) |pages=A1, A10 |date=September 29, 1996}} {{Cite news |first=Deborah |last=Storey |title=Entire cast of original 'Star Trek' will beam on stage in Huntsville |newspaper=[The Huntsville Times](/source/The_Huntsville_Times) |page=A1 |date=August 29, 1996}} }} {{Mayors of Huntsville Alabama}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Hettinger, Steve}} Category:1945 births Category:20th-century mayors of places in Alabama Category:Living people Category:Politicians from Memphis, Tennessee Category:Mississippi State University alumni Category:University of Alabama in Huntsville alumni Category:Mayors of Huntsville, Alabama Category:Members of the Alabama House of Representatives Category:20th-century members of the Alabama Legislature --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Steve Hettinger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Hettinger) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Hettinger?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.