Former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford Dies At Age 72

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Less than two weeks after being granted early release from federal prison in Kentucky, former Birmingham and Fairfield mayor Larry Langford has died. Langford was granted release because of his poor health, and died Tuesday at the age of 72.

Langford was a prominent figure in Birmingham, first as a television news anchor for WBRC in the mid-1970s when he became one of the first African-American TV reporters in Birmingham. Langford went on the enter a career in local politics, becoming a city council member in Birmingham in 1977, and then mayor of Fairfield.

He was elected to a seat on the Jefferson County Commission in 2002 and served as commission president during a dark era for the county, as he arranged and encouraged bond swaps which later resulted in a $3.2 billion sewer debt and ultimately led the county to declare bankruptcy in 2011.

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Langford followed his service on the county commission by being elected mayor of Birmingham in 2007. However, his time on the commission haunted him and he was eventually convicted of bribery, conspiracy, and fraud just two years into his mayoral term, and was sentenced in 2010 to 15 years in federal prison.

Langford's poor health in the last two years led to him being granted a release and a return to his family in Birmingham.

Image via Free Larry Langford Group