Vince Whibbs, Sr.
Official portrait, 1964
54th Mayor of Pensacola
In office
1977–1991
Preceded byWarren M. Briggs
Succeeded byJerry L. Maygarden
Member of the Pensacola City Council
from Ward 1, Group 2
In office
1963–1965
Personal details
Born
Vincent John Whibbs

(1920-02-08)February 8, 1920
Buffalo, New York
DiedMay 20, 2006(2006-05-20) (aged 86)
SpouseAnna Marie Stuart Whibbs
Children7
ProfessionAutomobile dealer, politician, businessmen
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1940 - 1946
RankCaptain
Battles/warsWorld War II

Vincent John Whibbs Sr. KSG (February 8, 1920 – May 30, 2006) was an American automobile dealer, politician and businessman who served as the 54th mayor of Pensacola from 1978 to 1991. Whibbs was also very involved with many projects and groups in his hometown of Pensacola, Florida. He was invested as a knight of the Order of St. Gregory the Great by Pope John Paul II in 1995.

Personal life

Vincent John Whibbs was born on February 8, 1920, in Buffalo, New York. Whibbs had a wife, Anna, and 7 children.[1] He died on May 26, 2006, at the age of 86.

Career

Business career

Whibbs portrait in front of Vince Whibbs Pontiac Dealership
Whibbs portrait in front of Vince Whibbs Pontiac Dealership

Whibbs worked for the Pontiac division of General Motors beginning in 1940. He held positions in Buffalo, New York, Charlotte, North Carolina, Jacksonville, Florida, and Pensacola, Florida. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps.[2][3] In 1958, Whibbs founded Vince Whibbs Pontiac, now known as Buick GMC Pensacola.[4]

Political career

Whibbs in 1985
Whibbs in 1985

Whibbs served on the board of directors of the Greater Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce. Vince also served as president of the Pensacola Chapter of the Navy League, Rotary Club of Pensacola Suburban West, the Fiesta of Five Flags, Junior Achievement, Pensacola Franchised Automobile Dealers Association and the United Way and Project Alert. Whibbs was elected to serve on the Pensacola City Council from Ward 1, Group 2 in 1963,[5] and served as a councilman until 1965. In 1975, Whibbs was selected to be head of the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce, and was then elected to serve as the 54th mayor of Pensacola from 1978 until his retirement in 1991. He was succeeded by Mayor pro Tempore Jerry Maygarden.[6][7]

Legacy

The Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park, opened in 2012, is named in his honor.[8]

There is a statue of Whibbs at the Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Anna Whibbs Obituary (1922 - 2010) the Pensacola News Journal". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  2. ↑ "Whibbs". Pensacola News Journal. 9 October 1958. p. 28.
  3. ↑ "Whibbs". Pensacola News Journal. 2 June 2006. p. 20.
  4. ↑ "Pensacola mayor dies". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  5. ↑ "The Pensacola News 10 Apr 1963, page 7". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  6. ↑ "Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 8 - HONORING THE LIFE OF MAYOR EMERITUS VINCE WHIBBS". www.govinfo.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  7. ↑ "Jerry Louis Maygarden - 1998 - 2000 ( Speaker Thrasher )". www.myfloridahouse.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  8. ↑ "Vince Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park". Visit Pensacola. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  9. ↑ Gieseken, Carlos. "Pensacola statue honoring Whibbs OK'd". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
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