A.J. Holloway, Biloxi’s longest-serving mayor, recently passed away at age 79. He was first elected mayor in 1993, a year after casino gaming became legal in Mississippi. He retired as mayor in 2015 due to his health, ending a 22-year career. Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich said, “He was a force. He was always in it, and that smile was infectious.”
Holloway was born in Ocean Springs and moved to Biloxi where he became a local football star. He earned a scholarship to Ole Miss, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in education. He played in two Sugar Bowls and a Cotton Bowl and was part of the Rebels’ 1960 national championship team.
Early in his career, he was a teacher and coach and also owned and operated Mary’s Drive-In. He served as vice president of Banker’s Trust and business manager of the Biloxi School District, and then went to work for the Mississippi Tax Commission as a senior agent.
Holloway also served as a city councilman for one term then won his first mayoral election. He defeated incumbent Pete Halat, who was sentenced in 1997 to 15 years in prison for a conspiracy that led to the 1987 killings of Circuit Court Judge Vincent Sherry and his wife Margaret. Holloway was re-elected in 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2013 and resigning mid-way into his sixth term in 2015 due to health issues.
Holloway supported casinos in Biloxi, realizing the economic benefits and jobs they created. His recommendation that the city invest $92,000 in a business-interruption insurance policy two months before Hurricane Katrina in 2005 helped the city recoup $10 million in gaming revenue that otherwise would have been lost.
Holloway called Katrina “our tsunami.” When he and his wife Macklyn emerged from the second floor of City Hall where they rode out to the hurricane, they saw their city in ruins. The powerful Category 5 hurricane claimed at least 50 lives in Biloxi, destroyed 6,000 homes and businesses, shut down schools and left more than 15,000 casino employees jobless.
Holloway had a reputation for being frugal, but he promoted development, education, historic preservation and affordable housing. Among other accomplishments he boosted the economy with casinos that created 15,000 jobs, generated $6 billion in development and increased the annual number of tourists from 1 million to 10 million, bringing in billions in revenue. He also invested $80 million in public education and 10s of millions in libraries, community centers, parks, playgrounds and ball fields. And, he managed a $35 million affordable housing initiative and lowered property taxes by 60 percent.
