1955 Tampa mayoral election

1955 Tampa mayoral election

← 1947 October 11, 1955 1956  →

Candidate Curtis Hixon Nick Nuccio Stu Phillips Party Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Nonpartisan Popular vote 25,412 16,551 6,374 Percentage 52.57% 34.24% 13.19%

Mayor before election Curtis Hixon Nonpartisan Elected mayor Curtis Hixon Nonpartisan

The 1955 Tampa mayoral election was held on October 11, 1955. The election was the first one to take place after the abolition of the White Municipal Party, a white supremacist organization which controlled city elections in Tampa as a quasi-private, quasi-public entity from 1910 to 1953. ^{[1] [2]}

Incumbent Mayor Curtis Hixon ran for re-election to a fourth term. He was challenged by County Commissioner Nick Nuccio and Stu Phillips, a member of the City Board of Representatives. Hixon defeated both candidates by a wide margin, winning 53 percent of the vote to Nuccio's 34 percent and Phillips's 13 percent, avoiding the need for a runoff election. However, Hixon died prior to the end of his fourth term, triggering a special election in 1956.

Candidates

• Curtis Hixon, incumbent Mayor ^[3]
• Nick Nuccio, Hillsborough County Commissioner ^[4]
• Stu Phillips, member of the City Board of Representatives ^[5]

Results

1955 Tampa mayoral election ^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Curtis Hixon (inc.)	25,412	52.57%
	Nonpartisan	Nick Nuccio	16,551	34.24%
	Nonpartisan	Stu Phillips	6,374	13.19%
Total votes			48,337	100.00%

References

1. Kerstein, Robert J. (2001). Politics and Growth in Twentieth-Century Tampa. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida. pp. 103–06. ISBN   0-8130-2083-2 . Retrieved July 6, 2025.
2. Iorio, Pam (2001). "Colorless Primaries: Tampa's White Municipal Party". The Florida Historical Quarterly . 79 (3): 297. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
3. "Hixon Confirms He Will Again Seek Mayoralty". Tampa Times . Tampa, Florida. June 27, 1955. p. 3. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
4. "Nuccio Runs For Mayor; Tells Plans". The Tampa Tribune . Tampa, Florida. May 1, 1955. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
5. "S. N. (Stu) Phillips, Candidate For Mayor, Retires On Pension". The Tampa Tribune . Tampa, Florida. July 2, 1955. p. 17. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
6. "Election of 10/11/1955". Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2025.