George G. Siebels, Jr.

Who was George G. Siebels, Jr.?

George G. Siebels, Jr., was the first Republican to serve as the mayor of Birmingham, Alabama. Seibels was born in 1913 in Coronado, California. He was the son of Rear Admiral George Siebels, Sr., of Montgomery, Alabama, and a great-grandson of George Goldthwaite, former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and a United States senator.

Siebels was reared in Virginia and graduated in 1937 from the University of Virginia at Charlottesville with a Bachelor of Arts in history. At the university, he was the intramural light-heavy weight boxing champion for three years. After graduation, he spent one year playing professional football.

Siebels moved to Birmingham in 1938 to work in the insurance business. In December 1941, he enlisted in the United States Navy and was commissioned an officer in 1942, rising to the rank of lieutenant. He served on anti-submarine duty and on a combat minesweeper in the North African and Mediterranean theatres, having participated in the assault on Italy.

Returning to Birmingham after the war, Siebels co-chaired the committee responsible for the safety torch on the Vulcan statue.