James F. Conway

Who is James F. Conway?

James F. Conway was the forty-first mayor of St. Louis, serving from 1977 to 1981.

Conway attended Saint Louis University and received a B.S. in Geophysical Engineering, and an MBA in Business Administration. His business career included serving as sales engineer and production manager for the Nooter Corporation, and later as president of A.C.I Plastics Company.

Conway was elected state representative in 1966, and was elected to the Missouri State Senate in 1974. In the March, 1977 Democratic primary for mayor, Conway defeated former mayor A.J. Cervantes and went on to win the April general election by a large margin.

Like many mayors of St. Louis, Conway found it difficult to accomplish some of his goals within the city's system of divided government. He and comptroller Raymond Percich differed on interpretations of the City Charter, and their battles became quite heated with numerous lawsuits and threats of lawsuits.

Mayor Conway succeeded in getting voters to lift the $25,000 salary limit that had been contained in the city charter. Some saw the salary cap as a hindrance in recruiting and retaining highly qualified civil servants.