John J. Tecklenburg (born September 1955)[2] is an American businessman and politician.[3][4] He served two terms as mayor of Charleston, South Carolina,[5] sworn in on January 11, 2016.[6] Tecklenburg was defeated in 2023 by former state legislator William S. Cogswell Jr.[7] He became the first mayor of Charleston to lose a reelection campaign since 1959.
John Tecklenburg | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 61st Mayor of Charleston | |
| In office January 11, 2016 – January 8, 2024[1] | |
| Preceded by | Joseph P. Riley Jr. |
| Succeeded by | William S. Cogswell Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 1955 (age 69) Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Sandy Tecklenburg |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Georgetown University (BS) Berklee College of Music |
Early life and education
editTecklenburg is a native of Orangeburg, South Carolina. He graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and later studied jazz at Berklee College of Music in Boston.[8][9]
Career
editTecklenburg was Charleston's director of economic development from 1995 to 1999.[10][11] He is a commercial realtor.[12][13][14]
Tecklenburg ran for mayor of Charleston and won against Leon Stavrinakis on November 17, 2015.[15][16] Tecklenburg was preceded by Joe Riley who was mayor of Charleston for 40 years.
In June 2020, in the wake of widespread protests against racism, Mayor Tecklenburg announced a decision to remove a statue of John C. Calhoun, a prominent South Carolinian defender of slavery, from a prominent public space in Charleston, in Marion Square.[17]
Personal life
editTecklenburg and his wife Sandy have five children and five grandchildren.[18][19]
In May 2018, Tecklenburg was removed from being a conservator for an elderly woman. Tecklenburg had used his ward's funds to make unsecured loans to himself and his wife totaling $80,000. He had not sought the court's approval as required by law.[20]
References
edit- ^ Rockett, Ali (January 8, 2024). "Citing 'surmountable challenges,' William Cogswell is sworn in as Charleston mayor". The Post and Courier. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "Uncle's jazz legacy passion for Realtor". The Post and Courier. June 5, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2016. (Subscription required.)
- ^ "John Tecklenburg defeats Leon Stavrinakis to become Charleston's next mayor". The Post and Courier. November 17, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ "Charleston Mayoral Race: John Tecklenburg". WCBD News 2. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ Diane Knich; Robert Behre (November 17, 2015). "John Tecklenburg defeats Leon Stavrinakis to become Charleston's next mayor". The Post and Courier. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
- ^ Kyle Jordan (January 6, 2016). "Street closures released for Charleston mayoral inauguration". WCSC-TV. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ Baldwin, Skyler (November 21, 2023). "Nail-biter: Cogswell narrowly beats Tecklenburg in mayoral runoff". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved November 21, 2023
- ^ "John Tecklenburg seeks to strike the right chords". The Post and Courier. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ "Music-centric inaugural celebration features mayor-elect performing piano jazz". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ "Profiling Charleston's mayoral candidates: John Tecklenburg". WCIV. Sinclair Broadcast Group. October 27, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ "John Tecklenburg transitions from campaigning to governing". The Post and Courier. November 20, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ Harve Jacobs (October 26, 2015). "Charleston mayoral candidate John Tecklenburg: "I love this plac - Live5News.com - Charleston, SC - News, Weather, Sports". WCSC-TV. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ "Remaining Charleston mayoral candidates battle over definition of 'developer'". WCIV. Sinclair Broadcast Group. November 4, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ "The candidates running for mayor in Charleston". Associated Press via Savannah Morning News. November 1, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
Tecklenburg works in commercial real estate and was city economic development director for six years in the late 1990s.
- ^ "John Tecklenburg wins Charleston mayor's race". The Post and Courier. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ "John Tecklenburg elected mayor of Charleston". Charleston City Paper. November 18, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ "Crews Begin Removal Of John C. Calhoun Statue In South Carolina". NPR.org. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ^ "Meet the Charleston Mayoral candidates". WCBD News 2. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ "Meet John". John Tecklenburg for Mayor. Archived from the original on January 10, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ Darlington, Abigail (May 10, 2018). "Probate judge cites Charleston mayor for 'apparent self-dealing' from woman's fund he managed". The Post and Courier. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
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