Floyd Chapman served another term as mayor in 1922-25, and was followed by Dr. William Elmer Neal.
By the time Dr. Neal died in 1959, he had recorded a remarkable record of public service – all the while seeing a multitude of medical patients. A life-long Republican, he served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, was a former member of the House of Delegates from Cabell County, a former member of the Huntington Board of Park Commissioners and was mayor of Huntington from 1925 to 1928.
Born in Proctorville, Ohio, in 1875, he received his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1906 and began practicing in Huntington.
In 1926, during his tenure as mayor, the long-awaited Ohio River bridge at 6th Street was completed and opened for use, providing the first ever bridge link between Huntington and Dr. Neal’s native Lawrence County, Ohio. An estimated 10,000 spectators turned out for the dedication ceremony on May 23, 1926, when the first cars and trucks rolled across the new span.
During Dr. Neal’s second term in Congress, he saw final approval of the $2 million federal office building that was built at 5th Avenue and 8th Street.
