Sam Massell (1927- ) was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Samuel A. Massell (1892-1961) and Florence Rubin (1901-1977). He has lived in Atlanta continuously except for his tour of duty in the Army Air Forces in World War II. Prior to serving in public office, Sam Massell was the Vice President of Allan-Grayson Realty Company where he built a successful career as a realtor, working in commercial property development over a period of eighteen years. During that time he was active in numerous civic groups and served as an officer or on the board of over forty-five different organizations. He married Doris Middlebrooks (1925-2015) in 1952, and the couple had three children, Cindy, Steven, and Melanie. In 1961, Sam Massell was elected in a city-wide race to the office of Vice Mayor and President of the Board of Aldermen, to which he was re-elected four years later. During this time, his interestes were in the area of human relations and environmental reforms, resulting in the creation of Atlanta's Community Relations Commission and assistance in development of Atlanta's Civic Design Commission. In October 1969, Sam Massell was elected Mayor of Atlanta, receiving one of the largest votes recorded for office. He served one term as Mayor before returning to private life and the real estate business.