Copyright AL.com
Quitman Mitchell, a groundbreaking longtime mayor of Bessemer, has died. Mitchell, who served from 1990 to 2002, made history as the first Black mayor of his city. Mitchell died Monday at age 85. A barber by profession, Mitchell traded his perch at 20th Century Barbershop for a new place at the mayor’s desk. In the process, he also earned a place in the city’s history. “That’s one of the trailblazers,” current Mayor Kenneth Gulley told AL.com. “He was a good man. He was a genuine man who loved his city and he wanted to do whatever he could to market and promote this city to the best of his ability.” Mitchell lost a bid for a fourth term to Mayor Ed May. Mitchell entered politics in 1986 when he won an at-large seat on the city council. In winning, Mitchell also became one of the first members of Bessemer’s newly-established city council after the city switched from the old city commission system. Grover Dunn, a political fixture in Bessemer and Jefferson County politics, remembers Mitchell when they were both students at the former Dunbar High School, later Abrams High. The two men would later serve together at city hall, with Mitchell leaving his council post to become mayor and Dunn taking his council seat. “He was a friend of mine and we did a lot of things together to help change this city,” Dunn said of his political ally. “It helped to have people he could trust when he was trying to do things. He worked on both sides. It was new to all of us.” Gulley recalled working for Mitchell while in his 20s when the former mayor was in politics. He said it took courage for Mitchell to offer himself for the top seat of leadership as the first Black person to hold the position. “Bessemer owes him a debt of gratitude for what he has done for the city,” Gulley said.
