Alfred M. Monfalcone was the mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Newport News, Virginia

Newport News, Virginia

Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...

 from January 16, 1956 to September 1, 1956. His is the shortest term of any mayor of the city. It is not clear why he was appointed to such a short term, but the fact that his predecessor, R. Cowles Taylor

R. Cowles Taylor

R. Cowles Taylor was the mayor of Newport News, Virginia from 1942 to 1955. As such, he was mayor of the city during World War II, at a time when the city's ports were used to send American troops to Europe to fight in the war...

, has a term expiring December 20, 1955, it is not unreasonable to assume that he took over the mayorship upon the death of Taylor. Monfalcone, for a time, owned a gas station in downtown

Downtown

Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....

 Newport News that sat next to the Newport News Victory Arch

Newport News Victory Arch

The Newport News Victory Arch is a monument in Newport News, Virginia, erected first in 1919 and then rebuilt in 1962. The Victory Arch was established as a memorial to those who served in the American armed forces during periods of war. It is located on 25th Street and West Avenue in downtown...

.