J. F. Barbour III

J. F. Barbour III (born September 7, 1940) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Mississippi. In 1968, he was elected as an independent (although closely affiliated with the Republican party) as mayor of Yazoo City, Mississippi. It was the first time that a non-Democrat held the post since Reconstruction.

Background Jeptha Fowlkes "Jeppie" Barbour III was born on September 7, 1940, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, the eldest child of Jeptha Fowlkes Jr. and Grace LeFlore (Johnson) Barbour. Jeppie is the older brother of former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour.

Career In 1968, Barbour became one of the youngest mayors in the history of Yazoo City, when he was elected at age 27. Although he was elected as an independent, Barbour was closely aligned with the Republican Party, having previously served as finance chairman for the Yazoo County GOP. At this time, there was no Republican Municipal Committee to hold a GOP primary.

After he left office, Barbour became the Mississippi state director of FHA.