K. Gardner Hammond

K. Gardner Hammond, former mayor of Kingsport, died on Feb. 16, 2022 at the age of 87. Hammond was first elected as an alderman for Kingsport in 1973. He eventually became vice mayor and was then elected mayor by his peers. In 1979, he became the first popularly-elected mayor in city history. A native of Kingsport, Hammond graduated from Dobyns-Bennett High School in 1953, serving as honorary student mayor his senior year. After graduating from Vanderbilt University with a degree in arts and sciences in 1957, he attended the Darden School at the University of Virginia where he earned a master’s in business administration in 1959. He returned to Kingsport where he served as the chief financial officer of the Kingsport Foundry and Manufacturing Corporation for more than 40 years.