John H. Eastman
| John H. Eastman | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana, USA | |
| In office 1910–1914 |
|
| Preceded by | Dr. Samuel Augustus Dickson |
| Succeeded by | Dr. Samuel Augustus Dickson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 23, 1861 Mansfield, DeSoto Parish Louisiana, USA |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Nellie Mayo Eastman |
| Children | William M. Eastman |
| Occupation | Businessman |
John H. Eastman (September 23, 1861 – November 14, 1938) was a businessman who served from 1910–1914 as the mayor of Shreveport, the third largest city in Louisiana and the largest in the northwestern section of the state.[1]
Eastman was born in Mansfield, the seat of DeSoto Parish and the site of the Battle of Mansfield in 1864 during the American Civil War. Eastman earned his living as a tinsmith (or "tinner").[2] In 1898, he established the Vordenbauman-Eastman Hardware Company.[2]
Eastman's mayoral term was the first under Shreveport's city commission government, in effect from 1910 to 1978, when it was replaced by the mayor-council format. Under his administration changes were made in street paving policies to improve the outcome at less cost. Eastman, a Democrat, worked to acquire the Cross Lake area (11,000 acres) at $1.00 per acre. Cross Lake is now the principal Shreveport municipal water source.[3] Eastman also oversaw the enlargement of the Louisiana State Fair grounds and the construction of the grandstand.[2] The fairgrounds are now located along Interstate 20.[4] Eastman also worked to secure the construction of the traffic bridge over the Red River, which connects Shreveport with neighboring Bossier City. It opened in January 1915.[2]
Eastman married the former Nellie Mayo of Lake Charles, and the couple had four children, of whom only one survived, William M. Eastman.[2][5]
Several pieces of new automotive firefighting equipment were named in Eastman's honor, but the City of Shreveport continued during his administration to utilize horse-drawn vehicles too.[6]
References
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- ↑ A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography used the book History of Shreveport and Shreveport Builders (1937) by Lilla McLure and J. Ed Howe for its sketch of Mayor Eastman.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
| Preceded by
Dr. Samuel Augustus Dickson
|
Mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana
John H. Eastman |
Succeeded by Dr. Samuel Augustus Dickson |
