Mayor C. Jack Ellis

Mayor C. Jack Ellis was born on January 6, 1946, in Macon, Georgia, to William Claude Ellis and Willie Mae Glover. Ellis was one of thirteen children. Ellis attended public schools in Macon, Georgia, and earned his B.A. at St. Leo College in St. Leo, Florida.

In 1999, Ellis was elected the 40th mayor of Macon, Georgia, becoming the first African American Mayor in the City’s 176-year history. He was then re-elected In 2003. During his tenure as Mayor, Ellis’s administration was responsible for approximately $1 million in loans to disadvantaged businesses. His administration constructed over 300 new affordable housing units and eliminated over 2000 sub-standard houses. Also, during Ellis’s administration, the City of Macon was designated as a city of excellence by the Georgia Municipal Association. The U.S. Conference of Mayors awarded it the City Livability Award. First Lady Laura Bush designated Macon as a “Preserve American Community.” Ellis also created the C. Jack Ellis Youth Foundation assisted underprivileged and special needs children in America, the Caribbean, and Africa. After Ellis left office in 2007, he was appointed honorary consul for Uganda to promote the country in the southeastern United States. Ellis has received many distinctions and honors, including being named one of the top leaders in the State of Georgia. As Mayor, Ellis served as vice president for the World Conference of Mayors for Tourism and Investment and chairman of the International Affairs Committee for the National Conference of Black Mayors. Ellis is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, the NAACP and a 32nd degree Mason and a Shriner. His is the father of five children, and lives in Atlanta Georgia.