Walter A. Post
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Walter A. Post (January 7, 1857 - February 12, 1912) was the first mayor of Newport News, Virginia.[1]
Walter A. Post | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Newport, Virginia | |
| In office November 1896 – September 1, 1898 | |
| Preceded by | None, new office |
| Succeeded by | Allan A. Moss |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 7, 1857 Kingston, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 12, 1912 (aged 55) |
He was born in Kingston, New York, on 7 January 1857, and studied as a civil engineer.[2]
He was sent to Newport News by his brother-in-law, Eugene White of Brooklyn, who had contracted with railroad magnate Collis P. Huntington to build a cargo terminal at the end of the newly built eastern terminus of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway on the Virginia Peninsula, in 1880. [3]
When Newport News was chartered as an independent city in 1896, Post was chosen to serve as acting mayor until the city's first municipal elections could be held. On July 1 of that year, he was elected. Post chose to serve only one term as mayor, stepping down in 1898.
In 1902 Post commissioned a handsome Beaux Arts style mansion on Huntington Avenue in the North End Neighborhood of Newport News. The Post house still stands, surrounded by its original wrought-iron fence at 5600 Huntington Avenue, the largest lot in the North End.
In 1911, he assumed the presidency of Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company. He would hold that office until his death in 1912. The newspapers of the day attributed his death to "overwork", and heart failure.[2] His entire time in Newport News was spent serving as a kind of lieutenant for Huntington, who essentially built the city of Newport News to serve his railroad.[citation needed]
Post Street in the Hilton Village historic district in Newport News is named after Post.[citation needed]
