Bill Ham Jr.

Last updated
Carol Susan
​
(m. 1979)​
Bill Ham Jr.
Bill Ham.jpeg
Mayor of Auburn, Alabama
In office
1998–2018

William Forrester Ham Jr. (born September 26, 1953) [1] is an American politician who served as the mayor of Auburn, Alabama from 1998 to 2018. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Bill Ham attended Auburn University in 1972, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in recreational management in 1977. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Political career

In 1986, Ham first got into the public sphere in Auburn after the mayor at the time, Jan Dempsey, suggested that he make a run for city council, and he did. [7] That year he defeated J. Quillin for Auburn's District 4 council seat where he served until 1998. [8] [9] [7] In 1994, he was voted in as Mayor Pro Tempore by the city council. [7]

Ham ran for mayor in 1998, holding office until 2018. [2] One of his major accomplishments as mayor was helping create the Auburn Research Park which is home to The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and other businesses, providing a space for collaboration between Auburn University and the city. [10] [11]

Personal life

Ham married Carol Ham on June 9,1979. [12] She taught with Auburn City Schools for over 30 years. [3] Ham's father Bill Ham Sr. also graduated from Auburn University and served on the Auburn City Council. [4]

Note

  1. ↑ When he was first elected, the seat was titled District 4, Post 2 before being changed to Ward 4, Place 2 in 1990.

References

  1. ↑ "U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1" (Document). United States. 1993.
  2. 1 2 "Auburn Mayor Bill Ham will not seek re-election after 20 years in office". WTVM. 2018-05-28. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  3. 1 2 "Auburn University names Bill and Carol Ham Amphitheatre in honor of former mayor and his wife". Alabama News Center. 13 November 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  4. 1 2 Dawson, Anne. "Meet Your Mayor". The Auburn Plainsman. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  5. ↑ Shirbach, Brice. "Auburn wasn't supposed to be this awesome". Pinkbike. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
  6. ↑ "Auburn University SGA commends outgoing Mayor Bill Ham for service". Open Line Auburn Alabama. 5 October 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 "SPECIAL REPORT: Auburn Mayor Bill Ham". wtvm. 2018-09-14. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  8. ↑ "Resolution no. 86-72" (Document). Auburn, Alabama: City of Auburn. 9 July 1986.
  9. ↑ "The Foundation | The Park" . Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  10. ↑ "Auburn celebrates growth of research park, honors former mayor". Office of Communications and Marketing. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  11. ↑ Armstrong, Jessica (2014-07-21). "Auburn Research Park: High Tech Seeks High Yield". Business Alabama Magazine. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  12. ↑ "Forrester-Buckner Vows Spoken". The Opelika-Auburn News. June 19, 1979. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
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