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John Bonsey Sr., former Pinellas County Commission chairman, dies at age 91

 
John Bonsey Sr., a former Pinellas County Commission chairman, died Sunday at 91.
John Bonsey Sr., a former Pinellas County Commission chairman, died Sunday at 91.
Published Nov. 27, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG — He started out a fighter, a light-heavyweight boxing champ who used a pseudonym so his mother wouldn't know he was spending his days in the ring.

By the time John Bonsey Sr. died Sunday at age 91, though, he'd forged an entirely different legacy for himself, this one built upon years of public service as chairman of the Pinellas County Commission in the 1960s.

In his thoughtful political work, he pushed for smart, affordable investments and brought many Pinellas County parks and bridges into being.

"People pretty much came to him because they knew he could get things done," daughter-in-law Debi Bonsey Spriggs said. "He was very magnetic."

Born in Philadelphia in 1924, Mr. Bonsey grew up in a tough neighborhood in Haddonfield, N.J., "poor as could be."

"He used to tell me he was lucky if he could get a sandwich with some lard on it," Spriggs said.

Mr. Bonsey's father gave him boxing gloves. He went on to win the state amateur championship under the name Johnny Langly, then became a standout on the U.S. Navy boxing team while in the submarine service in World War II.

His record: 90 wins, 3 losses. He was never knocked out but got a concussion and had to turn back from that promising path.

Mr. Bonsey moved to St. Petersburg in the mid 1940s. He met and, within six months, married Jean, his wife of 66 years. Together, they had four sons and two daughters.

Mr. Bonsey got into the building business, developing parts of Snell Isle. He lived in the Old Northeast, where he'd work on restoring his Model T and Jaguar convertible (including the upholstery, which he stitched using an old sewing machine).

After years of business and real estate — Mr. Bonsey once owned the Landmark Motel — he ran for office on the Republican ticket. He won in 1960 and again in 1964.

The St. Petersburg Times editorial board cheered his position as chairman, praising his "record of cautious deliberation" and steady hand amid a commission that "too often has been characterized by fickleness and frivolity." In 1965, Mr. Bonsey switched to the Democratic Party.

As a commissioner, he was soft-spoken, according to a 1961 Times article.

"He speaks seldom, but when he does other commissioners listen," it read. "If he believes a person or an issue is getting unfair treatment, his neck reddens, his shoulders hunch and he begins fighting verbally."

He fought for a county administrator form of government and a merit system that would take political patronage out of county employment. His push to prevent jailing mentally ill patients got nationwide attention.

Mr. Bonsey helped lay the groundwork to build the Pinellas Bayway bridge, among others, Spriggs said. He advocated for mental health, welfare and local industry and worked with PARC, the Knights of Columbus, YMCA, SPCA and many other groups.

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Things changed when his son Jim died in 2010. Together, the two had started J.B.'s Automotive, a St. Petersburg car repair business, and worked on race cars.

"When my husband died, the light went out for Dad," Spriggs said. "I'm going to miss him forever, but I know he's working on a race car with Jim in heaven."

Contact Claire McNeill at cmcneill@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8321.