Archives of Maryland
(Biographical Series)

John T. Chambers, Jr. (b. circa 1928)
MSA SC 5496-050594
Alderman in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland
First African American Mayor of Annapolis

Biography:

John Thomas Chambers, Jr., was the son of Rev. John T. Chambers, Sr., and Ruth Hicks Chambers. He had two brothers, Phillip and Carol, and one sister, Gertrude.1 In 1930, John Chambers, Jr., was living in Camp Parole with his parents and siblings. They resided with a large extended family that included Chambers' grandfather, James Hicks, and several aunts, uncles, and cousins. At that time, John Chamber, Sr., was working as a barber, a trade that he practiced for fifty-one years and taught to his children.2 John Chambers, Jr., graduated from the Wiley H. Bates Senior High School in 1945, and then from the Hampton Institute in Virginia.3 During the Korean War, he served as a sergeant in the Signal Corps in Germany.4 On February 12, 1954, Chambers married Hannah Jane Scott of Baltimore, with whom he had two children: John III and Ursula.5 A year after their marriage, John and Hannah Chambers purchased a house on Hicks Avenue. The street was named after his grandfather.6

On October 9, 1967, Thomas Norwood Brown resigned as Alderman for Ward 7, and Alderman Roscoe J. Parker nominated Chambers to fill Brown's seat.7 Chambers served in Ward 7 until 1973, when he ran for the newly-formed Ward 3, one of the city's eight new wards.8 His work included road and storm drain improvements and the so-called Chambers Ordinance, which "made the job of mayor full-time and spelled out the duties of the city's chief executive." According to Samuel Gilmer, the head of the NAACP's Anne Arundel County Branch, Chambers constantly advocated for the large African American population in his district. He succeeded in passing "rent control, placing a plaque at the foot of Main Street in honor of Alex Haley's ancestor Kunta Kinte, [passing] legislation making the renowned human rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday a city holiday, and ... leading the fight to save the Annapolis Youth Service Bureau.9

In April 1981, the City Council appointed Alderman Chambers as acting mayor, following the death of Gustav J. Akerland.10 Akerland had served as acting mayor since March 9, following the resignation of Mayor John C. Apostol.11 Chambers's appointment made him the first African American mayor of Annapolis. However, he informed the Afro-American that he still planned to retire in June, rather than run for mayor in the election that month: "I hope to get the budget prepared for the incoming mayor. That's the main thing along with the other duties."12 On June 8, 1981, the City Council's records noted that "Mayor-Elect Richard L. Hillman presented outgoing Mayor Chambers with an engraved gavel as a token of appreciation for his years of service to the city."13 On November 13, 1981, the Anne Arundel County Branch of the NAACP awarded Chambers a special citizen award.14 His father had helped found the branch.15

Following his retirement, Chambers continued to work at his family's barber shop. Chambers and his brothers, Phillip and Carol, owned the Chambers Brothers Barber Shop at 135 West Street, where John Chambers had worked evenings even during his career as alderman. The shop served as an anchor in the community, from its inception in 1944 until its closing in 1995. When the shop closed, the Capital reported that "John Chambers will retire to a home on Hicks Avenue across from where he was born and down the hill from his church, Mt. Olive A.M.E.... 'I intend to help other people and serve my community,' he said. 'That's what I'm accustomed to.'"16
 

1.     "Historic African American Barbershop Gets New Life." The Capital 22 January 2009: 1. Access Newspaper Archive.

2.     U.S. Census Record (Census Record, MD) for John Chambers, 1930, Anne Arundel County, Precinct 3, District 37, Page 78 [MSA SM61-512, M 12916].
         "John Chambers." The Capital 2 September 1990: 15.

3.     Ibid.

4.     "A Cut Above the Rest." The Capital 26 February 1995: D1, D3.

5.     DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE DIVISION OF VITAL RECORDS, (Marriage Certificates), [MSA T315-110]. John Thomas Chambers Jr. and Hannah Jane Scott, February 12, 1954, Baltimore County, Certificate No. 04306.
        "John Chambers." The Capital 2 September 1990: 15.

6.     ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT (Land Records), Liber GTC 1063, Folio 190, [MSA CE 59-1407]. Geneva Lucilla Sinclair to John T. Chambers, Jr. and Hannah S. Chambers, September 13, 1955.
        Earl Kelly. "Historic African American Barbershop Gets New Life." The Capital 22 January 2009: A1, A10.

7.     ANNAPOLIS, MAYOR AND ALDERMEN, (Election Papers), [MSA T934-3]. October 9, 1967, Page 253.
        "'Quiet' John Chambers Bows Out." The Capital 17 September 1980: 1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers, Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988).
        "Annapolis Barber Takes Over As City's Mayor." Baltimore Afro-American 25 April 1981.

8.     "3 Incumbents Seek Re-election." The Capital 15 January 1973: 1. Access Newspaper Archive.
        GENERAL ASSEMBLY (Laws) 1974, 3 vols., MdHR 821038, MdHR 821038-1, and MdHR 821038-2. Page 3517.

9.     Gilmer, Samuel. "Chambers." The Capital 25 September 1980: 8.
        "'Quiet' John Chambers Bows Out." The Capital 17 September 1980: 1.
        Samuel Gilmer "Chambers." [letter to the editor] The Capital. 25 September 1980: 8.

10.   "The Year in Pictures." The Capital 2 January 1982: 16.

11.   "Annapolis Mayors, Maryland." Maryland Manual. Maryland State Archives. http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/37mun/annapolis/html/amayors.html

12.   "Annapolis Barber Takes Over As City's Mayor." Baltimore Afro-American 25 April 1981.

13.   ANNAPOLIS, MAYOR AND ALDERMEN, (Election Papers), [Date: 1981-1985], Location: 01/51/01/056, MSA Citation: MSA T934-7. June 8, 1981, Page 1.

14.   "People." The Washington Post 29 October 1981: MD11.

15.   "'Quiet' John Chambers Bows Out." The Capital 17 September 1980: 1.
        "Arundel NAACP Considers Moving Headquarters Into Masonic Lodge." Baltimore Sun 27 March 2007: 1G. ProQuest databases.

16.   "A Cut Above the Rest." The Capital 26 February 1995: D1, D3.
         Earl Kelly. "Historic African American Barbershop Gets New Life." The Capital 22 January 2009: A1, A10.

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