William Armistead "Tacky" Gayle, Jr. (March 5, 1896 – July 5, 1965) was an American politician for the Democratic Party,[1] soldier and writer who was the mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, from 1951 to 1959.
[3] During World War II, Gayle returned to active duty, serving in the United States Army Air Forces.
[4] He served as public works commissioner of the City of Montgomery when he was elected as mayor in 1951.
He was named the defendant of the Browder v. Gayle federal court case that ended the boycott and racial segregation on the buses in Montgomery.
[7] Gayle was initially a moderate to even moderate liberal on the issue of civil rights for African-Americans, enjoying a high popularity among that race; however, as the bus boycotting continued, Gayle took more aggressive stances against African-Americans, particularly those boycotting, thus losing his popularity and standing among the city's African-American population.