Larry Langford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Larry Langford
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| 30th Mayor of Birmingham | |
| In office November 13, 2007 – October 28, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Bernard Kincaid |
| Succeeded by | Carole Smitherman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 18, 1946 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | January 8, 2019 (aged 72) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Melva Langford |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Alabama at Birmingham |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1965-1970 |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Larry Paul Langford (March 18, 1946 – January 8, 2019) was an American politician who had a one-term tenure as the mayor of the city of Birmingham, Alabama. At the time of his death, Langford was hospitalized on compassionate release from serving a 15-year federal felony sentence.
Contents
Biography
Education
Langford was born in Birmingham on March 18, 1946. He graduated from A. H. Parker High School before entering the United States Air Force. He graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science degree in social and behavioral sciences.
Early career
Langford was a reporter for WBRC-6, which at the time was the ABC affiliate in Birmingham, during the mid 1970s. He was the community's first African-American TV news reporter. He was later a public relations director for a Birmingham Budweiser distributor. Prior to entering politics, Langford was a well-known television personality, having worked for then-local ABC television affiliate,
Political career
Langford, a Democrat, was elected to the county commission in 2002 and elected president despite the fact that he was one of only two Democrats (along with former WBRC television reporter Shelia Smoot) on the five-member commission. He served four years as the first African-American commission president.Gary White, the Republican who crossed party lines and voted for Langford for president, lost his seat by a landslide in the 2006 election, as voters from his heavily Republican district replaced him with Jim Carns. Republicans campaigned heavily on a "No Democrat, No Dome, No Debt" platform during their primary and that they would not support the election of a Democrat to the County Commission. When Carns took his seat, the three GOP members replaced Langford with Bettye Fine Collins as president. In 2010 the entire commission, including the three Republicans, were either voted out of office or decided not to run for another term.
He also served as mayor of Fairfield, Alabama, and served one term on the Birmingham City Council.
Langford raised money and generated public interest and support for Visionland Theme Park (now known as Alabama Splash Adventure), located near Bessemer. The park was built largely by bond issues backed by a consortium of municipalities in the western part of the county, as well as the city of Birmingham and the county government. The park later declared bankruptcy, and was sold to Southland Entertainment Group for just over $5 million at auction.
As Fairfield mayor, Langford spoke publicly many times about his plans to run for higher office, particularly Governor of Alabama. After the bankruptcy of Visionland, Langford's political fortunes seemed to wane, and his talk of higher office diminished. After losing the county commission presidency, Langford announced on June 5, 2007, that he would run for mayor of Alabama's largest city.
Langford stunned many when he emerged as a top contender in a field of 10 candidates that included incumbent mayor Bernard Kincaid. Preliminary results credited him with 26,277 of 52,111 votes cast in the election, meaning that he avoided a runoff with challenger Patrick Cooper by 170 votes. Cooper then challenged the election in court, saying that Langford was still a resident of Fairfield and did not legally reside within Birmingham's city limits. Cooper later withdrew his case after a judge declared Langford's downtown loft a legal residence.
While in office Langford was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, an anti-gun group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets and that at the time was co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Langford was long a proponent of a domed stadium for the city, intended to replace the aging Legion Field as a venue for football on the collegiate and professional levels. He previously promoted a tax hike to pay for the dome, which was soundly rejected by voters a decade earlier under then-Mayor Richard Arrington, although later analysis of votes showed an overwhelming support for the dome inside city limits. After taking office as Birmingham mayor, Langford vowed that a domed stadium would be built in the city no matter what.
Public corruption charges
SEC investigation and lawsuit
In 2007, Langford was investigated by the SEC on corruption charges. On April 30, 2008, the Securities and Exchange Commission sued Langford in federal court. The lawsuit alleged Langford accepted more than $156,000 in cash and benefits from Montgomery banker Bill Blount in exchange for county bond business.
On December 1, 2008, Langford, along with investment banker William B. Blount, and former state Democratic Chairman Al LaPierre, were all arrested by the FBI on a 101-count indictment alleging conspiracy, bribery, fraud, money laundering, and filing false tax returns in connection with a long-running bribery scheme. His public corruption trial ended on October 28, 2009, with convictions on 60 counts, and resulted in his automatic removal from office.
Felony conviction and sentencing
On the morning of December 1, 2008, Larry Langford was arrested by the FBI on a 101 count indictment alleging conspiracy, bribery, fraud, money laundering, and filing false tax returns in connection with a long-running bribery scheme. He was led into the courtroom in leg-irons. Also indicted were lobbyist and former state Democratic Party executive director Al LaPierre, and Montgomery investment banker and bond underwriter, and former state Democratic Party chairman, William B. Blount of Parrish & Co.
While Langford was head of the Jefferson County commission, he engaged in a variable rate auction and bond swaps to raise money to help improve the county's sewer system. Langford was convicted of receiving $235,000 in bribes from Blount, some routed through Al LaPierre, to help influence the bond deals. According to the indictment, William Blount helped Langford receive a $50,000 loan, which was used to purchase jewelry, including a Rolex watch, and designer clothes. Blount's firm earned $7.1 million in fees from the bond deals while LaPierre was paid $219,500 by Blount for his help the scheme. Jefferson County banks made approximately $120 million by encouraging the county to refinance nearly all of its bonds using swaps. The bonds resulted in a $3.2 billion sewer debt, contributing to the Jefferson County commissioners voting to declare bankruptcy on November 10, 2011, in what at the time was the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. The U.S. government sought $7.6 million in forfeiture from the three men.
After being convicted in a trial in federal court in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Langford was serving out a 15-year federal felony sentence until he was released resentenced to time served in light of life-threatening health issues.
He was inmate #27349-001 at FMC Lexington, a Federal prison hospital near Lexington, Kentucky. He was released on December 28, 2018, after U.S. District Court Judge Scott Coogler commuted his sentence to time served due to deteriorating health conditions.
Health and death
On April 27, 2015, Langford was transported from prison to a hospital due to a case of pneumonia. Langford was first rejected for a compassionate release after describing himself as "terminally ill". On December 28, 2018, a federal judge reduced Langford's sentence for corruption to time served. He was granted compassionate release from prison in December 2018 due to his failing health.
Langford died on January 8, 2019. He was 72. His interment was at Elmwood Cemetery.
