Billy Hewes
William Gardner Hewes III (born October 27, 1961) is a Republican politician. He is the mayor of Gulfport,[1] Mississippi and the former President pro tempore of the Mississippi State Senate. He was born in New Iberia, Louisiana.
Billy Hewes | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Gulfport, Mississippi | |
| Assumed office July 2013 | |
| Preceded by | George Scholegel |
| President pro tempore of the Mississippi State Senate | |
| In office January 2008 – January 3, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Travis Little |
| Succeeded by | Terry W. Brown |
| Member of the Mississippi State Senate from the 49th district | |
| In office January 1992 – January 3, 2012 | |
| Succeeded by | Sean Tindell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Gardner Hewes III October 27, 1961 New Iberia, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Paula Hewes |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Gulfport, Mississippi |
| Alma mater | University of Southern Mississippi |
| Occupation | State legislator; Insurance agent; Real estate broker |
Education and personal life
Billy Hewes, Republican, currently serves as Mayor of Gulfport, Mississippi, the state's second largest city, having won office in the 2013 City of Gulfport General Election, in which he ran unopposed.[2]
Hewes is a relative to the first Mayor of Gulfport. In addition, Billy's grandfather served as a Chancery judge for many years, and his father served on the Gulfport City Council. Following a generational example of political interests and activism, his family has a long history of civic involvement.
Elected to public service in 1992, Billy represented the interests of Republican voters in South Mississippi in the Mississippi Senate for 20 years, serving as President Pro Tempore in his last term. Among other roles, he has served as National Chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council and as chairman of the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission. In addition, Billy served as Chairman of the Senate Ports and Marine Resources Committee, Rules Committee, Highways and Transportation Committee, and was also the founding chairman of the Mississippi National Guard Legislative Caucus. Mayor Hewes is 2019 Chairman of the Mississippi Municipal League, and serves on the U.S. Department of Commerce First Responders Network Authority Board, as well as, the Advisory Board for the U.S. Department of Interior National Park System Board.
Hewes was named Mississippi Association of Realtors Legislator of the Year by the Mississippi Association of Realtors, a private trade association that provides business benefits to its members including "education, communication, and lobbying for business-friendly legislation."[3]
He is an outdoors enthusiast, songwriter, and musician, having served on the Mississippi Blues Commission and as founder of the South Mississippi Music Hall of Fame.[4] Hewes has had songs featured in two movie soundtracks (Stay with Me - Precious Cargo; Mississippi Christmas - Christmas in MS) and his band Cut Bait performs at various festivals and charity events.
Hewes is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi. He is the owner of Billy Hewes Insurance Agency and is a Broker-Associate with Billy Hewes Real Estate. He has been the recipient of the Nationwide Insurance Company's District Community Service Award five times, and is a member of the Gulf Coast Board of Realtors and Gulf Coast Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.
A graduate of Leadership Mississippi and Leadership Gulf Coast, Hewes is a member of the Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, Gulfport Rotary Club and is a past president of the Gulfport Jaycees.
Mississippi State Senate
Senator Hewes represented District 49, Harrison County, Mississippi. He served that district from his election in 1992 until 2012, serving as President Pro Tempore from 2008 until 2012. He was the chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, and served on the following committees: Business and Financial Institutions; Compilation, Revision and Publication; Elections; Environmental Protection, Conservation and Water Res; Ethics; Finance; Highways and Transportation; Housing; Insurance; Legislative Budget; Municipalities; Ports and Marine Resources; and Public Health and Welfare committees.[4] He was succeeded as president pro tempore by Terry C. Brown.[5]
2011 Lieutenant Governor race
Hewes was an unsuccessful candidate for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi in 2011, losing the Republican Primary election to Tate Reeves by a 14 point margin.[1][6][7]
References
- Pender, Geoff Pender (26 February 2015). "Hewes endorses Reeves for Lt. Gov". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- "Billy Hewes running unopposed for mayor of Gulfport". gulflive.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-09-03. Retrieved 2016-08-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Archived August 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-11-22. Retrieved 2016-11-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Mississippi lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2011". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
- Archived December 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine