The Mayor: Joe Riley and the Rise of Charleston

In December 1975, Charleston voters elected a young attorney and former state lawmaker as the city’s new mayor. The rest is history. Joseph Patrick Riley Jr., just 32 at the time, promised to make Charleston an inclusive city, heal the lingering wounds of the civil rights movement, stem the rising crime rate and open more public parks for all residents. And that was just in his first term of office. Over the next 40 years, Riley led the city through disasters and divisiveness, tragedy and triumph, all the while transforming Charleston from a sleepy Southern town devastated by civil war into one of the most vibrant, fastest-growing cities in the nation – and the most popular tourist destination in the world.. Riley built the Charleston Place hotel and conference center that sparked the city’s revitalization; saved the Spoleto Festival; built the Waterfront Park, the South Carolina Aquarium and a baseball stadium named in his honor. He rebuilt Charleston after a devastating hurricane nearly destroyed the city. And in his final months in office, Riley led the city through a tragedy that threatened to destroy the peace and harmony he had worked toward his entire life. This is the modern history of an American city, its Phoenix- like rise and return to prominence and the man most responsible for it all. Through 10 terms as mayor, Joe Riley changed Charleston forever. This is his story.