He is among the few American politicians whose career spanned all three branches of government legislative, executive, and judicial. He often played in the 1000-acre Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, as well as in Central Park. STOKES, CARL B. He recalled how much his father enjoyed sports, sharing this passion with his children. New York-born Irvine U. He returned to Cleveland in 1980 and began serving as general legal counsel for the UNITED AUTO WORKERS union. During his tenure, he was instrumental in expanding the Port of Cleveland, Burke Lakefront Airport and the Rapid train system. Finding aid for the Carl Stokes Papers, Series II, WRHS.. Carl was a heavy reader of all books. He taught Cordell about his personal heroes, starting at a young age. He embraced the common man philosophy of the Jacksonian Democrats and that made him popular politically. A former city councilman, Flavel W. Bingham served only one year (1849) as Cleveland's mayor. Cordell Stokes recalls a funny incident on a family tennis trip to Jamaica. He became a partner in the firm Chard & Babcock in 1869. Two months before the end of World War II, Stokes joined the US Army and got the chance to travel. After his election, Stokes said, "I can find no more fitting way to end this appeal, by saying to all of you, in a more serious and in the most meaningful way that I can, that truly never before have I ever known to the extent that I know tonight, the full meaning of the words, 'God Bless America', thanks a lot. The camp always incorporated being able to introduce you into the wild. After Harry Davis resigned as Cleveland mayor to run for governor, then-law director William S. Fitzgerald completed Davis' unexpired term. Carl Stokes, 68, Dies; Precedent-Setting Mayor, https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/04/us/carl-stokes-68-dies-precedent-setting-mayor.html. He is of the few American politicians whose career spanned all three branches of government serving as mayor, Ohio legislator, and municipal court judge. He was a rival of fellow Republican Marcus Hanna, losing out to Hanna in a bid to succeed John Sherman as U.S. senator from Ohio after Sherman was appointed secretary of state to President William McKinley. U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes was a freshman congressman in 1969, when the river fire caught national attention. He then worked as a probation officer in Cleveland while attending the Cleveland-Marshall Law School, and in 1957 was admitted to the bar. The city of Cleveland's count of 57 mayors differs from the 50 reported here, because the city counts more than once each of the mayors who served non-consecutive terms. [7] As mayor, he also played a pivotal role in the effort to restore Cleveland's Cuyahoga River in the aftermath of the river fire of June 1969 that brought national attention to the issue of industrial pollution in Cleveland. He also helped establish the Cleveland Board of Trade and organize the Cleveland Yacht Club. Growing up with him in the big city of New York, especially in the 1970s. He focused on urban revitalization issues. After leaving office, he was appointed secretary of war by then-President Woodrow Wilson. There are many other buildings, monuments and a street named for his memory within the City of Cleveland including the CMHA Carl Stokes Center, Stokes Boulevard, and the eponymous Carl Stokes Brigade club. Charles passed away when Carl was two years old. Later he was a newscaster, judge, and US ambassador. He later acquired the Cleveland Herald & Gazette, in which he would not allow "print ads for the more notorious quack medicines, or notices for the return of runaway slaves," according to the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Theyd show you berries that youd eat and things of that sort. Download the official NPS app before your next visit. More significantly, he would go on to serve as a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. In 1954, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in law from the University of Minnesota Law School. We will start at the beginning. After his discharge from the Army in 1946, he attended West Virginia College. He would serve as sheriff of Elyria. Daniel D. Morgan was the only other city manager of Cleveland. Finding aid for the Stokes Oral History Collection, WRHS. Some of the mayors became well-known figures beyond Cleveland, including Carl Stokes, Dennis Kucinich and George Voinovich, while the names of other former mayors grace important local institutions, including Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport, Burke Lakefront Airport and the Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building. [5] Later, as Cleveland City Council president, he greeted Abraham Lincoln when he visited Cleveland in February of 1861. But he became embroiled in scandal stemming from a traveling salesman's divorce suit and he was ousted from his job in 1913 "on charges of neglect of duty and gross immorality.". And that was Paul Robeson, Toussaint Louverture, . In the same year, he was elected as the first black Democrat to the Ohio House of Representatives and won office in Cuyahoga County. He served from 1895 through 1898. was a joint public and private funding program for the revitalization of Cleveland which was announced by Mayor Carl B. Stokes 1 May 1968. Last year, President Clinton appointed him Ambassador to the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean off the northern coast of Madagascar. "The aftermath of that night was to haunt and color every aspect of my administration the next three years," he wrote. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Carl-Stokes, Ohio History Central - Biography of Carl B. Stokes, Carl Stokes - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). He recalled, I had felt inadequate in my life before, but not inferior. It was very important to them to make sure that I understood that what they did in their political career, that it doesnt mean that its a green path for you personally. After being called racial slurs in a restaurant, he chose to stay on base. Stokes feuded with City Council and the Police Department for much of his tenure. He advocated for clean water and environmental justice, bringing international attention to the infamous 1969 Cuyahoga River fire. From 1994to 1995, Stokes served as US ambassador to the Republic of Seychelles under President Bill Clinton. [1][5] At the time of his election, Cleveland was a majority white city with a 37% black population. Carl B. Stokes, Michael White, Frank Jackson, and current Mayor Justin Bibb are part of Cleveland's history of Black mayors. He served from 1844 to 1845 and then a two-year term starting in 1857. At that time, racial discrimination in Cleveland was an issue of serious concern in America. George B. Senter was Cleveland's mayor from 1859 to 1860. "50 years ago: Cleveland's Carl Stokes elected first black mayor of a major U.S. city (vintage photos)", "A Turning Point: The Cleveland election watched around the world", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1967_Cleveland_mayoral_election&oldid=1063817276, November 1967 events in the United States, Articles with empty sections from May 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 5 January 2022, at 02:26. He was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus while serving as Ambassador to the Seychelles and placed on medical leave. He also led an expansion of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Celebrezze's popularity grew during office and he received nearly 74 percent of the vote in 1961. He was born in Cleveland to Charles Stokes, a laundry worker who died when Carl was two years old, and Louise (Stone) Stokes, a cleaning woman who then raised Carl and his brother Louis in Cleveland's first federally funded housing project for the poor, Outhwaite (see PUBLIC HOUSING). 30 years in the US House of Representatives, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. Carl B. Stokes served as the 51st mayor of Cleveland, Ohio. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. But the city's mayoral race in 1967 made waves around the world. Carl Burton Stokes was the first African American mayor of a major American city, having been elected mayor of Cleveland, the nation's 8 th largest city, in 1967. He provided a great foundation for us on all levels for us to be able to deal with life, not as special people but as people like everyone else. Read more online about Clevelands Original Black Leader John O. Holly. I was with basketball and football. He served as general counsel for the United Auto Workers. . The CLEVELAND: NOW! In 1957 he passed the bar and the following year was appointed assistant city prosecutor in Cleveland. Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection. After that, he shifted to New York City and the next year, he served the television station WNBC as an anchorman. I felt baffled, without direction, and had no ambition beyond the work I was doing and the life I had developed on the streets.. Nicholas Dockstadter served as mayor from 1840 to 1841. In his autobiography, "Promises of Power," Mr. Stokes wrote that his efforts to build a sense of unity were dealt a severe blow by the riots. He came to Cleveland to work as a cooper at the age of 17 and later learned how to distill alcohol. After returning home in 1947, Stokes earned his high school diploma. View finding aid for the Carl B. Stokes Papers, Series I, WRHS. . Legal Notice | Privacy Policy, Mather House, Room 308 Anyone can read what you share. There were also family trips filled with nature. Finding aid for the Carl Stokes Papers, Series I, WRHS. He became a partner in a banking firm and then a member of City Council before running unopposed for mayor. A voice of hope had been lost. CLEVELAND: NOW! . He was a municipal judge in Cleveland from 1983 to 1994. May 1, 2023. Later, he attended the Cleveland-Marshall Law School from where he earned his JD degree in 1956. But the city was awarded a new franchise, which retained the Browns name and began play in 1999. ", "I went into every white home that would let me in there and every hall that would have me," he said. Carl and Shirley Stokes cast their votes for Cleveland mayor on Election Day 1967. . His funeral was held at Cleveland Music Hall, presided over by the Rev. . Professor Canady instilled in him a passion for social activism and served as a mentor. What kinds of personal experiences shaped Carl Stokes? Carl & Louis Stokes Making History opened at the Cleveland History Center on November 2, 2017, and was the capstone of the 2017 Commemoration Stokes: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future While at WNBC New York, Stokes won a New York State Regional Emmy for excellence in craft, for a piece about the opening of the Paul Robeson play, starring James Earl Jones on Broadway. So thats the big thing here. He became mayor of Cleveland the following year in 1855. He graduated from CLEVELAND-MARSHALL LAW SCHOOL in 1956 and was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1957. He was a private and trained at Fort McClellan in Alabama. Cleveland: Now!, announced on May 1, 1968, was an initiative by him to rehabilitate the neighbourhood areas in Cleveland. Carl was a big-time tennis observer and player. As a parent, he was very engaged in Cordells high-level career as a student-athlete in basketball and football. (21 June 1927-3 April 1996) became the first AFRICAN-AMERICAN mayor of a major U.S. city when he was elected mayor of Cleveland in November 1967. In 1962 Stokes was elected to the Ohio General Assembly, where he developed a reputation as a moderate. As a widowed mother, Louise raised Carl and Louis on her modest income from doing menial work. On the night of his election victory in 1967, Mr. Stokes told a crowd of cheering supporters that he had never before then known "the full meaning of the words 'God Bless America.' After returning to Cleveland, he served as general counsel (198083) to the United Automobile Workers before being elected a municipal court judge in 1983. Downtown Cleveland saw several building renovations during Ralph Perk's tenure (1972-1977), as well as completion of the Cuyahoga County Justice Center. His father was co-owner of the city's first lumberyard. Now, during the summers at home in Ohio, Cordell said that he swims in Lake Erie quite a bit. She often changed jobs to support the family. The National Archives has historic documents and teacher resources about actor and activist Paul Robeson. The Cuyahoga River was widened and straightened and new bridges built during his term. Updates? He later served as commandant of Camp Cleveland during the Civil War, and in 1864 was appointed mayor of Cleveland to take over for Irvine U. In 1956, he graduated from the Cleveland State University College of Law and in 1957, was admitted to the Ohio State Bar Association. lost momentum when it was indirectly linked to Black nationalists involved in the Glenville Shootout on July 23, 1968. The default occurred during the mayoralty of Dennis Kucinich, not George V. Voinovich, who defeated Mr. Kucinich in 1979. By Brian Kaberline. The City of Cleveland On June 22, 1969, the Cuyahoga River caught on fire in Cleveland, Ohio, just a few miles downstream of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. He served as assistant prosecutor for four years, eventually becoming a partner in the law firm of Stokes, Stokes, continuing that practice into his political career; it was successful after one year. (Fellow Ohioan Robert C. Henry was the first black mayor of any U.S. city (Springfield, elected 1966).) A native Clevelander, Jackson attended public schools in the city and holds bachelor's, master's and a law degrees from Cleveland State University - the latter from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. As mayor, Stokes sought to improve Clevelands declining economy and to create racial unity. Masters came to Ohio in 1851 and as a trustee of Ohio City helped with its merger with Cleveland. He lost his father when he was very young. Choosing not to run for a third term in 1971, Stokes lectured around the country, then in 1972 became the first black anchorman in New York City when he took a job with television station WNBC. He served as mayor in 1847. Stokes was the first elected African American mayor of a major American city (Cleveland was, at the time, the ninth largest city in the United States). Later, he joined the U. S. Army and served in occupied Germany during the World War II. Part of Stokes' legacy is a reminder to think about how we address issues to benefit us all. Elected on November 7, 1967, and taking office on January 1, 1968, he was the first black elected mayor of a major U.S. city. From 1963 to 1968 he served in the Ohio House of Representatives. . Elected the first black Democrat to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1962, he served 3 terms and narrowly lost a bid for mayor of Cleveland in 1965. 44106-7107. He returned to Cleveland and died at the Cleveland Clinic. Masters, who resigned after contracting tuberculosis. Ambassador to the Republic of Seychelles. A number of capital improvements were initiated under Voinovich, including the city's signature Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. the local John O. Holly. ", During his tenure as Mayor, Mr. Stokes was credited with opening City Hall jobs to blacks, and speaking out for the poor and disadvantaged. His Slovenian ancestry made him the first Cleveland mayor, but not the last, to descend from Eastern European roots. He then attended several colleges before earning his bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1954. For 4 years he served as assistant prosecutor and became partner in the law firm of Stokes, Stokes, Character, and Terry, continuing that practice into his political career. Jane Campbell, the city's only female mayor, served four years during a time of relatively poor economic conditions. Ambassador to the Republic of Seychelles in 1994. During Carls childhood, the Cuyahoga Riverdivided the city along racial lines. In 1967, he lost in the Democratic primary to Carl B. Stokes, the first black mayor of a major American city. Finding aid for the Carl Stokes Scrapbooks, WRHS. He and his . He credits his brother Carl Stokes - the first black mayor of a major American city . 21 June 192 7 in Cleveland, Ohio; d. 3 April 1996 in Cleveland, Ohio), first African American mayor of a major U.S. city, Cleveland, Ohio. The problems of poverty and discrimination in American cities, he had said, "threatens to strangle and destroy our entire urban civilization.". Juggling work and education, he transferred colleges a few times, graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1954. For many years he served as superintendent of the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railroad. During his two terms as mayor, Stokes opened city hall jobs to blacks and women, and introduced a number of urban revitalization programs (see MAYORAL ADMINISTRATION OF CARL B. STOKES). Stokes ran for mayor again in 1967. When he became mayor of Cleveland for the first time in 1877, the economy was depressed as a result of the Panic of 1873. Find out more about the men who inspired Carl B. Stokes. During his administration the Equal Employment Opportunity Ordinance was passed requiring firms doing business with the city to have active programs to increase their minority employment, spending was increased for schools, welfare, and public safety, and a $100 million bond issue was approved by voters to improve the city's sewage treatment facilities. After serving as mayor, he became president of Citizen's Savings & Loan Association and director of the Riverside Cemetery Association, both organizations he helped found. Omissions? "In many ways, my position as mayor of this great city would not be possible without Carl Stokes laying that foundation," Bibb said. Carl Stokes in August 1967. Credit: AP Stokes' rise and fall as a Ch. He lost his father when he was very young. [a] Early life [ edit] Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Herman M. Chapin was elected mayor even though he didn't know he was in the running. He was elected the first black president of the National League of Cities in 1970. Carl was raised alongside his brother Louis Stokes who also grew up to be a famous politician, serving 30 years in the US House of Representatives. When Stokes was informed of the assassination, he acted quickly to keep the peace in Cleveland. Born as Carl Burton Stokes in a black family of Cleveland, Carl was the second son of Charles, a laundryman and Louise Stokes, a cleaning woman. When elected mayor, Carl advanced equal employment policies in Cleveland. During this time, he was actively involved in various civil rights activities. After dropping out of high school and going to work in a foundry, Carl Stokes entered the Army in 1944, and served in occupied Germany in World War II. [1] He and his brother, politician Louis Stokes, were raised by their mother at the CMHA's Outhwaite Homes. Carl B. Stokes made history as the first black mayor of a major American city when he took office in 1968. He was elected mayor of Cleveland and became . In 1980, he returned to his hometown of Cleveland and worked as a general legal counsel for the United Auto Workers Union.