John Fulmer Bright

John Fulmer Bright
55th Mayor of Richmond, Virginia
In office 1924–1940
Preceded by	George Ainslie
Succeeded by	Gordon Barbour Ambler
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Richmond City
In office January 11, 1922 – January 9, 1924
Preceded by	Albert O. Boschen
Succeeded by	Albert O. Boschen
Personal details
Born	(1877-11-17)November 17, 1877 Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Died	December 29, 1953(1953-12-29) (aged 76) Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Resting place	Hollywood Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Medical College of Virginia (MD)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1907–1941
Rank	Brigadier general
Battles/wars	World War I World War II

John Fulmer Bright (November 17, 1877 – December 29, 1953) was an American politician and physician from Virginia. He served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He served as mayor of Richmond, Virginia, from 1924 to 1940.

Early life

J. Fulmer Bright was born in Richmond, Virginia, to Mary Samuel (née Davis) and George Hilliard Bright. He attended public schools in Richmond and graduated from the Medical College of Virginia with a Doctor of Medicine in 1898.

Career

Bright practiced medicine for 24 years. He was a professor of anatomy at the Medical College of Virginia. He was professor emeritus of anatomy at the time of his death. In 1907, Bright entered the National Guard. He was commanding officer of the 1st Virginia Infantry from 1921 to 1940. He retired in 1941 as a brigadier general.

Bright was a Democrat. He was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1922. In 1924, he ran for mayor of Richmond on the platform of "good government for less money or better government for the same money". He served as mayor of Richmond from 1924 to 1940. He ran again in 1940, but lost to Gordon Barbour Ambler. During the Great Depression, he initially rejected state and federal grants to support Richmond. In 1939, he opposed a proposal to set up a federal housing authority after a resolution that city council had passed to include a slum clearance project. He called the project "unsound, unbusinesslike, undemocratic, unAmerican and wrong in principle". He also opposed proposals to change the city's two chamber legislative body to a unicameral council by the Richmond Citizens' Association. In 1948, a new city charter weakened the mayor's power by implementing a city manager system and replaced the bicameral city council with a single nine-person body whose members were elected at large. He described the change as "Richmond's greatest tragedy". During his tenure, he oversaw the building of the Robert E. Lee Memorial Bridge with Reconstruction Finance Corporation funds and the replacement of the Marshall, Fifth and First viaducts. The World War Memorial Carillon was also built in Byrd Park. He ran again for the Virginia House of Delegates in 1941, but lost.

In 1941, Bright became an assistant co-coordinator of the State Defense Council. In 1942, he became state director of the Office of Price Administration. In 1950, he became medical advisor to the State Industrial Commission. He held that role until his death. In 1950 and 1951, he led referendum drives to defeat city council supported efforts to build an expressway. He later agreed the toll road was the proper approach to handling the traffic problem in Richmond.

Personal life

Grave of Bright at Hollywood Cemetery

Bright lived at 408 West Grace Street in Richmond. He was hospitalized for a heart ailment in November and on December 26, 1953. He died of a heart attack a few days later on December 29th. He was buried in Hollywood Cemetery.

See also

• List of mayors of Richmond, Virginia

See also

• Robert C. Glass and Carter Glass Jr., Virginia Democracy (1937), 3:108–109.
• John T. Kneebone et al., eds., Dictionary of Virginia Biography (1998- ), 2:231-233. ISBN 0-88490-199-8
• Christopher Silver, Twentieth-Century Richmond: Planning, Politics, and Race (1984), 90–93, 130–131, 146–150, 176–181, 188–189.