1959 Tampa mayoral election

1959 Tampa mayoral election

←  1956 (special) September 8, 1959 September 22, 1959 1963  →

Candidate Julian Lane Nick Nuccio J. L. Young, Jr. First round 25,917 38.53% 25,917 40.55% 12,347 18.36% Runoff 37,823 53.47% 32,910 46.53% Eliminated

Mayor before election Nick Nuccio Nonpartisan Elected mayor Julian Lane Nonpartisan

The 1959 Tampa mayoral election was held on September 22, 1959, following a primary election on September 8, 1959. Incumbent Mayor Nick Nuccio, who was first elected in a 1956 special election, ran for re-election to a full term. Despite Nuccio's prediction that he would not "have any opposition," ^[1] he was challenged by former Mayor J. L. Young, Jr., whom he had defeated in 1956, and dairy executive Julian Lane. Nuccio placed first in the primary election, winning 41 percent of the vote, and Lane placed second with 39 percent. In the ensuing general election, Lane narrowly defeated Nuccio, 53–47 percent.

Primary election

Candidates

• Nick Nuccio, incumbent Mayor ^[2]
• Julian Lane, dairy executive, campaign manager for Governor Dan McCarty ^[3]
• J. L. Young, Jr., ^[4]
• Joe E. Manning, real estate agent ^[5]

Results

1959 Tampa mayoral primary election ^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Nick Nuccio (inc.)	27,274	40.55%
	Nonpartisan	Julian Lane	25,917	38.53%
	Nonpartisan	J. L. Young, Jr.	12,347	18.36%
	Nonpartisan	Joe E. Manning	1,720	2.56%
Total votes			67,258	100.00%

General election

Results

1959 Tampa mayoral general election ^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan	Julian Lane	37,823	53.47%
	Nonpartisan	Nick Nuccio (inc.)	32,910	46.53%
Total votes			70,733	100.00%

References

1. Denley, Bob (April 13, 1959). "Opponent-Free Race Expected By Nuccio". Tampa Times . Tampa, Florida. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
2. "Tampa Mayor Says He'll Run Again". St. Petersburg Times . St. Petersburg, Florida. April 10, 1959. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
3. "Lane In Mayoralty Race". Tampa Times . Tampa, Florida. July 18, 1959. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
4. "'Challenged' By Hundreds Of Supporters, J. L. Young Says He'll Run For Mayor". The Tampa Tribune . Tampa, Florida. January 11, 1959. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
5. Bradford, Vernon (November 9, 1958). "J. L. Young Organizes For Two-Man Slugging Match With Nuccio For Mayor". The Tampa Tribune . Tampa, Florida. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
6. "Election of 9/8/1959". Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
7. "Election of 9/22/1959". Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2025.