For 16 years J. Palmer Gaillard Jr. was the history-making mayor of Charleston, expanding the city's boundaries for the first time in more than a century and serving its citizens so well that they gave him a precedent-breaking four terms in office. For most of the last 30 years he chose to remain in the background while continuing to be an astute observer of events and an active participant in the city's civic, social and religious life. Recently, and for him unexpectedly, he became a sought-after speaker and the subject of a television documentary. His tragic death in an automobile accident Friday at age 86 has left a city in mourning.

It was in 1959 that the reform-minded young city councilman closed his lumber business and moved into the mayor's office, after upsetting the incumbent. It wasn't long before he fulfilled such major pledges as getting the city's troubled financial house in order and giving residents of the growing West Ashley area their first chance to become part of Charleston. After the initial 1960 elections, success followed annexation success, with the city soon doubling its size.

Challenge also followed challenge with the mayor at the forefront of providing much-needed new facilities, such as the sewer treatment plant on Plum Island, the municipal auditorium, a new police station and Brittlebank Park along the Ashley River. He also initiated the formation of the Charleston Aviation Authority which resulted in the construction of a modern-day airport and helped resolve a multi-government tangle that gave the city a guaranteed water supply and spurred the development of industry in Berkeley County's Bushy Park.

It was during his administration that the first African American was elected to City Council, and it was Palmer Gaillard who put the first black judge in the state on the bench with the appointment of Richard Fields to municipal court. With few exceptions, civil rights demonstrations on his watch were relatively peaceful. His steady hand and his trusted advisors steered the integration of the municipal golf course and helped keep the city violence free during the volatile hospital and garbage workers strikes.

A visionary on the necessity for the old city to take in new territory, he also was a hard-nosed watchdog of the city's purse and its properties. Few knew Charleston better and none paid more attention to every aspect of the city's business and its physical upkeep or were more accessible. He practiced what he preached fiscally, reducing his salary by $300 a month when he first took office and still objecting two years later when City Council raised it back to $15,000 per year. When he was leaving office, a secretary found check stubs for all 16 years, vouchers for every trip he had taken and memo pads and pencils that dated to the beginning of his administration. While watching his own expenses, he led the way for providing better benefits and retirement protections for city employees. Throughout his political career, he kept a listed home phone.

An early advocate of government consolidation, Palmer Gaillard was the leading contender for mayor of a merged city-county government. But the fate of a Gaillard-led consolidated government was never tested. That vote was postponed when a special election was called to fill a congressional seat after the sudden death of the powerful House Armed Services Chairman L. Mendel Rivers. With voter approval of the merger concept in doubt - it was later defeated - the mayor opted to pull out and join those running for the Rivers seat. It was won by the congressman's godson and namesake.

While the 1971 congressional election was his first political defeat, opponents saw it as a sign of City Hall vulnerability. He narrowly prevailed in his run for a fourth term, with his challenger making major inroads in the African-American vote. Near the end of the term he announced that 16 years was long enough. But rather than returning to private business as planned, he was encouraged by the late Sen. Strom Thurmond to accept a Washington appointment as deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for reserve affairs. A former naval aviator, he couldn't refuse the call.

After two years in Washington, he and his wife, Lucy, were back home, again immersed in the community where they were born and had reared three sons. While he served as vice president of Ruscon Construction Co. until his retirement in 1985, he purposely kept a low political profile. According to his son Foster, who served on City Council under Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr., his father felt strongly about not second-guessing his successor, now the city's longest serving mayor. "He was careful never to give Joe advice or to criticize him. He thought when he stepped out, he needed to step away. He wanted to let Joe do it his way. "

He did keep active in the community, playing a role in the development of the Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community, becoming the oldest Carolina Yacht Club member ever elected commodore and serving as chairman of the trustees of the Charleston Scientific and Cultural Education Fund.

He had that rare ability to run what he described as a "tight ship" in both politics and business and still have great fun. His fine mind seemed undiminished by age and his wit remained razor sharp. He loved to banter with friends whose numbers continued to grow. But once out of office, he never sought publicity. He was, in fact, genuinely surprised by the reception accorded his self-published biography, "Boards to Boardrooms," that he began writing primarily for family and friends after the death of his wife five years ago. The depth of that loss is reflected throughout the book. He decided to answer the public demand by turning the book over to the Historic Charleston Foundation, which receives the proceeds from its sale. Renewed talk about his days in City Hall got the attention of the South Carolina Education Television network, which recently completed a 30-minute documentary. Three days before his death, he was given a preview of the film which is scheduled to begin airing Sept. 30.

Last year, the winner of a lunch with Mayor Riley at a charity fund-raiser invited Palmer Gaillard as a special guest. The conversation was lively, full of stories of City Hall characters and remembrances. Afterward, Mayor Riley sent the former mayor a letter with some follow-up thoughts on the Gaillard annexations. He wrote: "Every day, the city of Charleston reaps the benefits from that hard work and the city and its citizens always will. ... I often think of your extraordinary tenure as mayor. You set the bar very high and I have tried to keep my eye on it."

For Palmer Gaillard the accolades he received had to be gratifying, but they weren't the reason he served his community. "Duty, honor, integrity and character were the hallmarks of his life," according to son Foster.

On that night when he presided over his last meeting of City Council, Palmer Gaillard reminded the crowded chamber of what he said when he took first took office:

"We pledged our devotion, energy, and best efforts toward meeting the challenges and realizing the opportunities. I hope that history will record that we kept our pledge of 16 years ago and that today, there is a better and greater city of Charleston."

History will so record.