Robert "Bo" Williams
| Robert Warren "Bo" Williams, Sr. | |
 | |
| In office December 1994 – December 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Hazel Fain Tilley Beard |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Keith Hightower |
Member of the Shreveport City Council
| |
| In office December 1990 – December 1994 | |
| Born | July 21, 1938 Greenwood, Caddo Parish, Louisiana |
| Died | September 29, 2022 (aged 84) |
| Resting place | Centuries Memorial Park in Shreveport |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Melba Clark Williams (married 1959-2022, his death) |
| Children | Robert J. Williams Linda Williams Fair |
| Residence | Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Alma mater | Greenwood (Louisiana) High School |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
Military Service
| |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
Robert Warren Williams, Sr. known as Bo Williams (July 21, 1938 – September 29, 2022), was only the second Republican since Reconstruction to have served as the mayor of the heavily Democrat city of Shreveport, Louisiana. His single term extended from 1994 to 1998; for the preceding term from 1990 to 1994, he was a member of the city council.[1] He won the mayoral election against an African-American Democrat candidate, Roy Cary (born 1955), a real estate agent. In the primary, former Democrat Mayor John B. Hussey was eliminated after his third-placed finish.
Williams was born in Greenwood in southwestern Caddo Parish near Shreveport to James Chambers Williams, Jr. and the former Mary Thelma Robertson. In 1956, he graduated in 1956 from Greenwood High School and thereafter received a master's degree in Agriculture Economics from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He then served in the United States Army at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. [1]
In 1959, he wed the former Melba Clark (born 1939). With their two children, Robert, Jr., and Linda, later Linda Williams Fair, the family moved to Shreveport in 1965, where Williams began his career as a credit manager at Ralston Purina and began raising cattle. After a sever accident in June 1972 left him handicapped in a wheelchair with limited upper-body movement, he began working in real estate as a developer of residential subdivisions. Later, he became a licensed residential contractor.[1]
He was a deacon at Summer Grove Baptist Church in Shreveport. His obituary refers to him as "an inspiration to many for his determination to work and provide for his family as well as live an active lifestyle despite his physical limitations." [1]
He is interred at Centuries Memorial Park in Shreveport.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Robert Warren "Bo" Williams obituary. rose-neath.com (October 2, 2022). Retrieved on June 15, 2026..