| C. Jack Ellis | |
| Order: | Mayor of Macon, Georgia |
| Term Start: | December 14, 1999 |
| Term End: | December 12, 2007 |
| Predecessor: | Jim Marshall |
| Successor: | Robert Reichert |
| Birth Date: | 6 January 1946 |
| Birth Place: | Macon, Georgia |
| Party: | Democratic |
C. Jack Ellis (born January 6, 1946) is a politician and the former mayor of Macon, Georgia.
Prior to taking office, Ellis served 20 years in the United States Army as an airborne infantryman, Airborne Instructor, and served two tours in Vietnam with the 201st and 5th infantry divisions, earning the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and the Army commendation medal for valor. Ellis also served in the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg. Ellis finished his Army career as a recruiter for 11 years, serving to help build the U.S. Army's volunteer force. Upon retirement from the U.S. Army, Ellis served as an executive for the United States Census Bureau, served on Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/ PUSH coalition and hosted a public access television show focusing on public and political affairs in the black community. [1] Ellis also ran a summer basketball training camp in thee U.S. Virgin Islands, hosting then-future professional basketball players such as Tim Duncan and Magic Johnson.
Ellis ran for mayor of Macon in 1999.[1] He defeated former Macon Mayor Buck Melton in the 1999 Democratic primary election,[2] and was elected as the city's first African-American mayor in the mayoral general election.
After his first term, he was re-elected in 2003 after defeating several challengers in the Democratic primary and write-in opposition in the general election.
On April 16, 2011, Ellis officially began a third campaign for mayor of Macon against incumbent mayor Robert Reichert.[3] In the July 19 Democratic primary, he placed second in the four-way race, with 37.6% of the vote. Because Reichert fell just shy of 50% of the vote, a run-off election was scheduled for August 16 between Ellis and Reichert.[4] Ellis lost the election by 537 votes, receiving 9,770 of the 20,077 votes cast.[5] Ellis did not rule out a future run for office.[6]
Ellis was born into a Baptist family in Macon, Georgia and is a member of Unionville Missionary Baptist Church.[8]