Background
Gullett was born in Springfield, Illinois to parents Noah and Clara Virgin (Willett) Gullett.
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William Waitman Gullett
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Education
He graduated from Washington University in Saint Louis in 1948 with a bachelor"s degree in chemistry, after which he settled in Prince George"s County with an interest in metallurgy. Gullett held 21 United States patents in the area.
Career
He had previously served three terms as the Mayor of College Park from 1963 to 1969, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of Maryland, 1967-1968 and a Presidential Elector for Maryland in 1972. He served in the United States Army Air Corps in World World War II as a B-17 pilot based in England. Gullett married Helen Jaunita Hammons in Springfield on March 20, 1943.
Gullet managed metallurgical projects at Diamond Shamrock and was president of Chicago Development Corporation, a metallurgical research firm in Riverdale, Maryland.
An interest in zoning issues that affected his home in College Park, Maryland influenced Gullett"s entry into community affairs He was elected to the city council in 1961, and became mayor two years later, serving for three terms until 1969.
Gullett was elected as County Executive in a 1971 special election to choose the county"s first executive under a new home rule charter, defeating one Republican and five Democratic candidates. Although initially supported by a broad coalition of Republicans and a pro-charter, anti-development group led by local activist Julian C. Holmes, he lost support because of perceived poor performance and constant conflict with the Democratic-controlled County Council.
He lost his bid for reelection in 1974 when the Prince George"s County Democratic Party swept Republicans from power, defeating every Republican running for state or local office.
On leaving office, Gullett was asked to serve in a United States Agency for International Development mission and did so, working as the Assistant Director for Management in Haiti from 1982 to 1985. Gullett"s son, William, was shot and killed on February 16, 1969, while on duty as a young Prince George"s County police officer After his political service ended, Gullett worked for federal agencies and for the Dynalectron engineering firm.
He served as director of licenses and permits in the administration of the second Republican Prince George"s County Executive, Lawrence Hogan, in 1979.
Gullett had homes in Vero Beach, Florida and Hope, New New York He died at the age of 92 on September 24, 2015, at a hospital in Gloversville, New York upon cardiorespiratory arrest.
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Born
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Died
September 24, 2015 (aged 92) -
Political Party
Republican party