H. C. Milford
5th County Executive of St. Louis County
In office
October 25, 1989 – January 1, 1991
Preceded byGene McNary
Succeeded byBuzz Westfall
Personal details
BornJanuary 27, 1932
Saint Louis, MO
DiedApril 30, 2018
Saint Louis, MO
Political partyRepublican
SpouseEmily Tinker Milford
ChildrenDaniel, Douglas, Diane, Henry, Janet, Jody
ProfessionInsurance

H. C. Milford was an insurance executive and volunteer when he entered politics. First, serving on the St. Louis County planning commission, then as a St. Louis County Councilman for almost 4 terms,[1] He was also a financial consultant, and Republican politician from Missouri. He grew up in Shrewsbury, Missouri, attended South Side Catholic and Webster Groves High School and the University of Missouri – Columbia. He served in the Air Force from 1954 until 1958. He started an Insurance brokerage with his older brother, Doug Milford. H.C. Milford died on April 30, 2018, at the age of 86.[2]

Political career

Milford became St. Louis County Executive on October 25, 1989[3] when Gene McNary, serving his fourth term in the position was appointed Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service by President George H. W. Bush.[4]

As county executive, Milford proposed that St. Louis International Airport be run by an independent authority, rather than the City of St. Louis.[5] Little more than a year into his role as county executive, Milford decided to stand for re-election in November 1990. He was defeated by the Democratic nominee, Buzz Westfall, by a margin of 55–45%.[6] This defeat ended 28 years of Republican control of the government of St. Louis County,[7] and, as of 2018, made Milford the last Republican to lead the county.

Redevelopment career

Following his defeat, Milford volunteered to serve as economic development director,[8] and financial consultant[9] for economically depressed East St. Louis, Illinois. Working with newly elected East St. Louis mayor Gordon Bush, Milford lent credibility to several re-development projects and thus helped to attract wary investors to the city.[1] Of the re-development projects he was involved in, the most visible is the Casino Queen, a riverboat casino on the East St. Louis waterfront of the Mississippi River, and at the time of its construction, a sorely needed source of revenue for the city.[1] Milford continued to work to improve East St. Louis until at least 2003, commuting there from his home in Webster Groves, Missouri.[10]

Electoral history

1990 Election for County Executive of St. Louis County[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican H. C. Milford 144,949 45.4
Democratic Buzz Westfall 174,099 54.6

References

  1. 1 2 3 "A View from Metro East". Lib.niu.edu. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  2. ↑ Murphy, Kevin. "H.C. Milford Dies: Served As County Executive". South County Times. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  3. ↑ "STLtoday.com". Nl.newsbank.com. 1989-10-26. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  4. ↑ "Blacktie | Have you met Gene McNary?". Blacktie-missouri.com. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  5. ↑ "Article: Milford pushes for new management at Lambert. (H.C. Milford)". AccessMyLibrary. 1990-08-13. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  6. 1 2 "St. Louis County Executive Race". Our Campaigns. Nov 6, 1990. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  7. ↑ "Buzz Westfall: A Life and A Career". ksdk.com. 2003-10-28. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  8. ↑ Michael Tackett (1991-08-04). "East St. Louis Shows Signs Of Working". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
  9. ↑ East St. Louis Mayoral Race : Developers Keep Close Eye On Election. 'It'S Important That Whoever Carries On Continues To Attract Development.'. (Metro) (Profile\East St. Louis Mayoral Race), 1998-12-20
  10. ↑ "Des Peres Author Andrew Theising Pens "East St. Louis: Made In The U.S.A."". Websterkirkwoodtimes.com. 2003-06-27. Retrieved 2013-02-16.


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