Richard H. Fonville

American politician

Richard H. Fonville

46th Mayor of Houston
In office January 2, 1937 – January 2, 1939
Preceded by	Oscar F. Holcombe
Succeeded by	Oscar F. Holcombe

Personal details
Born	(1882-04-30)April 30, 1882 Texas, U.S.
Died	December 13, 1954(1954-12-13) (aged 72) Eagle Lake, Texas, U.S.
Spouse	Clara McCormick (m. 1926)

Richard Henry Fonville (April 30, 1882 – December 13, 1954) was an American politician and pharmacist who served as the 46th Mayor of Houston from 1937 to 1939.^[1]

Mayoralty

Fonville defeated incumbent Oscar F. Holcombe and took office in 1937.^[2] During his term as mayor, the City of Houston Fire Station No. 11 was built. Today, it is the only historic Art Deco-style fire station remaining in Houston and one of the last remaining examples of civic architecture in Houston dating from the early 20th century.^[2] In 1938, Fonville announced a roundup of the prostitutes in Houston at the old Jefferson Davis Hospital, the purpose of this act was to check for venereal diseases.^[3] On July 30, 1938, he renamed the Houston Municipal Airport as the "Howard Hughes Airport" as part of the welcoming ceremony at the Houston Hughes homecoming.^[4]

Personal life

Fonville married Clara McCormick in 1926.^[5] He died at his Eagle Lake hunting lodge of a heart ailment on December 13, 1954.^[6] In 1960, Fonville Middle School in Houston was posthumously named after him.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b "School Information / History of Fonville Middle School". Fonville Middle School. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Protected Landmark Designation Report" (PDF). Retrieved December 25, 2023.
^ Gonzales, G.R. (September 30, 2015). "Downtown as it looked from above in 1938". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
^ "Houston's mayors: A complete timeline from 1837 to now". Houston Chronicle. November 3, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
^ "Clara M. Fonville". The Galveston Daily News. December 6, 1994. p. 4.
^ "Ex-mayor expires". Corsicana Daily Sun. December 13, 1954. p. 11.