When Huntington voters rejected the city’s council-manager form of government and instead adopted a new charter placing a politically elected mayor in charge at City Hall, Robert R. Nelson – better known as Bobby – was quick to take advantage of the change.
In 1986, he became the city’s first strong mayor in nearly 30 years. He was re-elected in 1990 but was unsuccessful when he tried for a third term.
Born in 1934 in Whitesville, a West Virginia coal camp, Nelson graduated from Sherman High School in Boone County, and then served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps. Upon giving a friend a ride to register at Marshall College (now University), a counselor at the school persuaded him to attend Marshall on the G.I. Bill.
At Marshall, Nelson was a student of Dr. Ken Hechler and when he graduated worked in the professor’s successful run for the U.S. Congress. He then worked as an administrative assistant to Rep, Hechler from 1960 to 1970.
Embarking on what would be a long political career, he represented Cabell County in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 1965 to 1970, and then moved to the State Senate where he served from 1971 to 1985. In his years in the Legislature, he repeatedly showed himself to be a staunch supporter of Marshall, aiding in its growth and expansion.
As mayor, Nelson played an active role in the economic and cultural development of the city. He worked to develop the vacant downtown urban renewal area known as the Superblock. He brought hockey and baseball to town in the form of the Huntington Blizzard and Huntington Cubs. He played a major role in the development of programs to help the homeless, including what is now Harmony House. He founded the Carter G. Woodson Memorial Foundation to honor the Father of Black History who grew up in Huntington. He oversaw a long-needed restoration of City Hall, including the long-unused theater.
On leaving office, Nelson was asked to describe what he thought was his most important accomplishment as mayor. He said what he was proudest of was trying to get people “to have a better attitude about this city and about what we can do.”
