Herman Woolbright

Herman Woolbright was born and raised on a small farm in Austonio, Texas, just west of Crockett in Houston County. He attended and graduated from William High School near Porter Springs, Texas. After graduating from High School, he moved to Houston and got a job at a lumber company as a warehouse attendant. Shortly after moving to Houston, Herman met and married his wife of 47 years, Mary Louise Hale and became proud parents of three wonderful children. They are Anthony, Sabrina and Kimberly.

In 1965, Herman joined the Houston Fire Department and was part of the first group of black firefighters to integrate the Houston fire stations. In 1969, he was promoted to Chauffeur, then to Captain in 1972. He was promoted to Senior Captain on 1977.

In 1991, Herman retired from the Houston Fire Department and moved to Huntington, Texas. He became a city council member on 1994. After serving as a council member for 11 years, Herman became the first black mayor in the history of Huntington and Angelina County in 2005.

He is currently still serving as mayor of the City of Huntington.