Ohio inventions and firsts · First · 1967
First Black mayor of a major U.S. city
Carl Stokes won the 1967 Cleveland mayoral election (defeating Seth Taft) and served 1968-1971, among the first Black mayors of a major American city.
At a glance
- Year
- 1967
- Place
- Cleveland, Cuyahoga County ZIP 44114 · Cleveland · Cuyahoga County
The story
In 1967 no large American city had a Black mayor. Cleveland, with a large Black population and deep racial divides, was about to change that. Carl Burton Stokes won the election on November 7, 1967 and took office in January 1968 as the 51st mayor of Cleveland.
Wikipedia describes him as one of the first Black elected mayors of a major U.S. city. Richard Hatcher of Gary, Indiana, was elected the same day, so the word first is not exclusive. Stokes opened city hall jobs to Black people and women and launched Cleveland: Now!, a public-private plan for neighborhood renewal.
In June 1969 the Cuyahoga River caught fire. Stokes championed restoration and became a national voice on pollution.
After leaving office in 1971, Stokes became the first Black anchorman in New York City, at WNBC-TV in 1972. He was later a municipal judge and, in 1994, President Clinton named him ambassador to Seychelles. He died of esophageal cancer on April 3, 1996 and was buried in Lake View Cemetery. The Carl B. Stokes Federal Court House in downtown Cleveland, finished in 2002, is named for him.
Timeline
- 1967-11-07: Stokes wins the Cleveland mayoral election. (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1968-01: Stokes takes office as mayor. (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1969-06: After the Cuyahoga River fire, Stokes champions river restoration. (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1972: Stokes becomes the first Black anchorman in New York City at WNBC-TV. (New York) source
- 1994: President Clinton appoints him ambassador to Seychelles. (Seychelles) source
- 1996-04-03: Stokes dies; he is buried at Lake View Cemetery. (Cleveland, OH) source
What it changed
- Opened city hall jobs to Black residents and women.
- Launched Cleveland: Now! for neighborhood revitalization.
Why it matters
Civil-rights milestone.
Worth knowing
Richard Hatcher of Gary, Indiana, was elected mayor on the same day in 1967, so Stokes was not the only Black mayor elected that day.
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.