Larry Langford

American mayor (1948-2019)

Larry Paul Langford (March 17, 1946 – January 8, 2019)[1] was an American politician and convicted criminal. He was the mayor of the city of Birmingham, Alabama serving from 2007 to 2009. He was serving a 15-year federal felony sentence at the time of his death.[2][3]

Larry Langford
30th Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama
In office
November 13, 2007 – October 28, 2009
Preceded byBernard Kincaid
Succeeded byCarole Smitherman
Personal details
Born(1946-03-17)March 17, 1946
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
DiedJanuary 8, 2019(2019-01-08) (aged 72)
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham

Political life

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He previously served on the Jefferson County, Alabama, Commission, including four years as the first African-American commission president. He also served as mayor of Fairfield, Alabama, and served one term on the Birmingham City Council.

Langford was a well-known television personality, having worked for then-local ABC affiliate, WBRC TV as the community's first African-American TV news reporter. In 2010, Langford began serving a 15-year federal felony sentence, the result of a highly publicized public corruption trial in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Prison time

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On April 27, 2015, Langford transported from his prison in Ashland, Kentucky to a hospital due to a case of pneumonia.[4] Langford was rejected for an early release after describing himself as "terminally-ill".[5]

He was granted compassionate release from prison in December 2018 due to his failing health and was hospitalized for respiratory failure and pneumonia in Birmingham.[6] Langford died on January 8, 2019 at the hospital in Birmingham from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, aged 72.[7]

References

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  1. The date is disputed: Thomas Spencer, "Larry Langford trial: Birmingham mayor mum on real age", The Birmingham News, October 18, 2009.
  2. "Former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford Sentenced - WHNT". Archived from the original on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2015-04-28.
  3. "Birmingham, Alabama - Mayor Larry Langford". Archived from the original on 2009-07-24. Retrieved 2015-04-28.
  4. "Former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford moved from prison to hospital". Al.com. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  5. "'I'm dying,' former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford says today from prison after rumors of death". Al.com. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  6. "Larry Langford is home, arrives at Birmingham hospital Saturday night". al.com.
  7. Digital, WVTM 13 (9 January 2019). "Former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford dead at 72". WVTM.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

Other websites

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  Media related to Larry Langford at Wikimedia Commons