Thomas Jeffers

Thomas Jeffers (born July 1838 in Macon, Georgia - ) was a railroad mechanic and the 6th Mayor of Birmingham, serving from 1878 to 1882.

Jeffers attended school in Georgia until he was 14, at which time he apprenticed himself to the Wilmington Machine Company of Wilmington, North Carolina. He was trained as a machinist and engineer and, at the age of 20, went to work for the Wilmington & Manchester Railroad. In 1863 he was assigned to detached service, remaining with with railroad as it transported troops during the Civil War, but also fulfilled other engineering duties on behalf of the Confederate government.

In 1871 Jeffers was appointed master mechanic for the South & North Alabama Railroad shops. In 1878 he entered into a partnership with Jackson & Morris, sawyers and lumber dealers. That same year he defeated former mayor James Powell to win election to the mayor's office. During the campaign, Jeffers was able to connect more closely to voters than Powell, who adopted an imperious attitude.

Jeffers was re-elected in 1880. While Mayor he inaugurated the city's sewer system. He also organized the First Avenue Street Railway Company and the Birmingham Gas Company. After leaving office he served as superintendent of both the gas company and the Birmingham Electric Light Company.

Preceded by: Henry Caldwell

Mayor of Birmingham 1878 - 1882

Succeeded by: A. O. Lane

References

• Dubose, John Witherspoon (1887) Jefferson County and Birmingham, Alabama: Historical and Biographical Birmingham: Teeple & Smith, Publishers; Caldwell Printing Works.