About D.B. McKay

Donald Brenham "D.B." McKay was born in Tampa on July 29, 1868. D.B. attended school in Tampa until the age of fourteen when he became an apprentice printer for the original [i]Tampa Tribune[/i]. McKay became the City Editor in 1893 when the newspaper was renamed the [i]Tampa Daily Times[/i]. Within seven years, McKay purchased the paper outright and served as its publisher for the next forty years. On October 7, 1900 McKay married Aurora Gutierrez-- daughter of Ybor City pioneer Gabino Gutierrez-- and the couple had eight children together (Ada, Donald Brenham Jr., Aurora, Petrolina, Helen, Mary Jane, John Angus, Robert "Red"). In 1910, McKay was elected to his first term as Mayor of Tampa and served for over 10 years in the position. During his tenure, McKay implemented a massive infrastructure expansion project for the city. Sidewalks and streets were paved, sewer systems constructed, City Hall, The Lafayette Street Bridge, the first public library, brick fire stations and the first buildings of the South Florida Fairgrounds were all accomplished with McKay's oversight. In 1927, McKay ran for a four year term and was overwhelmingly elected, raising his tenure as Mayor to a total of 14 years (1910-1920, 1927-1931). During World War I McKay served as chairman to President Wilson's Advisory Committee for the Southwest, furnishing confidential information concerning appointees to various government positions during the war effort. McKay also served as Director of the First National Bank, President of the Board of Trade and was one of the founding trustees for the University of Tampa. He also received numerous citations and honors for his long tenure and service to the community of Tampa. McKay was appointed the Hillsborough County Historian in 1949. He also began writing a Sunday history column for the [i]Tampa Tribune[/i] in 1950 called the "Pioneer Florida" page. D.B. McKay passed away from heart failure at the age of 92, on September 8, 1960.

From: http://digital.lib.usf.edu/SFS0036137/00001