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As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. Cleveland: Now!, announced on May 1, 1968, was an initiative by him to rehabilitate the neighbourhood areas in Cleveland. Stokes was particularly influenced by Herman Canady, chair of the psychology department. Elected on November 7, 1967, and taking office on January 1, 1968, he was one of the first black elected mayors of a major U.S. city. After a tough campaign, Stokes emerged victorious. He always talked to me as an adult, not of kiddie stuff. From 1983 to 1994, he served as a municipal judge in Cleveland. This article highlights some of the insights he graciously provided. In 1958, he tied the nuptial knot with Shirley Edwards whom he divorced in 1973. Previously, he was an artillery captain during the Civil War and a president of the City Council. Cordell remembered his father as someone who perfected the balance of his career with a disciplined family life. To help us better interpret Carls legacy, Cuyahoga Valley National Park recorded an oral history with his son Cordell Stokes in 2021. Carl and Shirley Stokes cast their votes for Cleveland mayor on Election Day 1967. He did not seek re-election. It was Mr. Voinovich, as noted, who said the slide had started with poor managerial moves by Mr. Stokes, a contention Mr. Stokes denied. Stokes was re-elected to a second two-year term but chose not to seek a third. In 1980, Mr. Stokes left New York and returned to Cleveland, where he worked as a labor lawyer, serving as general counsel for the United Auto Workers, a union that had been among his earliest supporters. The street where they grew up and prominent buildings in Cleveland are named for them. But Perk will forever be known as the mayor whose hair caught on fire while using an acetylene torch to cut a ribbon at an American Society of Metals convention. [1] [2] His election came alongside the election of Richard G. Hatcher in the 1967 Gary, Indiana mayoral election. Cleveland embarked on construction of a new water and sewer system during Robert E. McKisson's time as Cleveland mayor. He was away at the time he was nominated in the spring of 1865, having been responsible for raising money and equipment for the Union, according to the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. 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. He defeated Seth Taft, grandson of former U.S. President William Howard Taft. Carl B. Stokes was a Cleveland native, born on June 21st, 1927. Download the official NPS app before your next visit. After being discharged in 1946, he returned to Cleveland and earned a high school diploma, and then attended West Virginia State College and Cleveland College of Western Reserve University, majoring in psychology. At the time, Cleveland was one of the 10 largest cities in the United States and Stokes' election put the city in the national spotlight. His father, Charles . But I wasnt mentally ready. George Hoadley graduated from Yale in 1801 and later studied law. Throughout the remainder of his time as mayor, Stokes aimed to reform the Cleveland Police Department. CLEVELAND NOW | Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Harold Burton served as mayor for about five years. Focusing on the brothers' early life at the Outhwaite projects, service in World War II, and eventual rise to politics, the exhibit ran until September 2008. After Cleveland City Council removed its portion of a floating Detroit Street Bridge, residents of the west side of the river were enraged, calling for "two bridges or none." "[4], As mayor, Stokes "opened city hall jobs to blacks and women. Carl was also a fantastic pool player to the point where he was playing against some of the world-renowned, historic pool players. As a newsman, he played softball on the NBC team in Central Park. More than two decades after it was initially proposed, a plaza adjacent to the front . He had been treasurer of the village of Cleveland and then an alderman after the city became incorporated in 1836. . John O. Holly was a Black political activist who was popular in the Cleveland housing projects when Carl was a young man. Carl B. Stokes and the 1969 River Fire - NPS He later became a news anchorman, judge, and a United States Ambassador. Stokes began his law career as an assistant prosecutor. In 1979, he briefly visited Cleveland to endorse Mayor Dennis Kucinich in the 1979 Cleveland mayoral election, warning that "if Voinovich wins, the Democrats might as well forget about the state of Ohio in 1980. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. That's when Carl Stokes made history. The problems of poverty and discrimination in American cities, he had said, "threatens to strangle and destroy our entire urban civilization.". He often played in the 1000-acre Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, as well as in Central Park. Mayor Carl Stokes | Sierra Club He had to get me off the court because I was laughing. [1], Stokes served in the Ohio House of Representatives. 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. Harry Davis served as Cleveland mayor on two occasions. The famous civil rights leader is also honored with a national memorial in Washington, DC. [3] Stoke's election came in a city which was, at the time, 68% white.[2]. How the 1969 Cuyahoga River Fire Sparked the U.S. Environmental Movement OH After four years, the emerging Democratic leader looked to politics. [1] He and his brother, politician Louis Stokes, were raised by their mother at the CMHA's Outhwaite Homes. Cleveland Public Library Photograph Collection. He worked for the Erie Railroad Co. in Buffalo as a clerk and then as a bookkeeper for a coal dealership in Cleveland. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Samuel Starkweather had two stints as Cleveland mayor. Sometimes at the beach. In 1981, he married Raija Kostadinov, whom he divorced in 1993 and remarried in 1996. By advocating for better conditions for poor people living in cities, they were pioneers in what is now called environmental justice. Carl B. Stokes is most famous for using the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire to advocate for a broad range of issues impacting the urban environment. He started the Lake Erie Iron Co. and after the Civil War went to Prussia to learn more about its iron and steel operations. He took several steps to improve the condition of the poor and disadvantaged section of the society. . Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). But the city was awarded a new franchise, which retained the Browns name and began play in 1999. Civil Rights was the big movement. Brothers Carl and Louis Stokes rose from their childhood in Clevelands public housing to become influential Black politicians. John H. Farley was known as "Honest John" when he was first took office as mayor of Cleveland in 1883. He was a municipal judge in Cleveland from 1983 to 1994. Thats what we did. . After Harry Davis resigned as Cleveland mayor to run for governor, then-law director William S. Fitzgerald completed Davis' unexpired term. A year later, Stokes married Shirley Edwards. He moved to Cleveland after getting married. Some you might know well, others you might be hearing about for the first time. His home in New York City is a national historic landmark. I was a good tennis player. 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. Before George Voinovich moved on to the U.S. Senate, he was mayor of Cleveland for the entire decade of the 80s. After the mayoral form of government was reinstated several years later, he was again elected mayor of Cleveland, serving from 1934 through 1935. A tree-planting campaign during his time in office combined with similar efforts by his father, Leonard Case Sr., years before, led to Cleveland being know as "Forest City." He coordinated with the citys police department to have an all-Black force on the East Side. We take a look at all the mayors in this slideshow. He also led an expansion of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. He served from 1895 through 1898. In 1967 Carl Stokes was elected mayor of Cleveland, the first African American to win such office in a major U.S. city. Frank Lausche took over as Cleveland mayor in 1942. "I didn't sit back. Carl Stokes, Mayor of Cleveland, USA, 1960 - 070016 - YouTube Carl B. Stokes, 68, the former Cleveland mayor who was the first African American elected to head a major city government, died of esophageal cancer April 3 at a Cleveland hospital. Long appreciated as a civil rights leader, Carl Stokes has only recently been recognized for his pioneering role in the environmental movement. Burke briefly served in the U.S. Senate after Ohio Gov. He served as mayor of New Haven, Conn., before coming to Cleveland in 1830. Otis Co. 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). Carl Stokes and his wife Shirley outside a voting booth on Election Day, 1967. Third persons won't have to tell me what's going on in our city. Carl Stokes Biography - Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline . From 1983 to 1994 he served as municipal judge in Cleveland. [1], Stokes was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus while serving as Ambassador to the Seychelles and placed on medical leave. You can visit the brothers graves in Lake View Cemetery. Frank Lausche named him to fill the unexpired term of Robert Taft, who had died. "[1] He was known as a strong administrator and reformer, and is remembered for his vision and motivation. 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. ", During his tenure as Mayor, Mr. Stokes was credited with opening City Hall jobs to blacks, and speaking out for the poor and disadvantaged. Carl and Louis both ensured that Cordell knew he would need to develop his own talents. A large crowd sits at tables to hear Carl B. Stokes and Seth Taft debate at the City Club of Cleveland during the 1967 mayoral campaign. Masters came to Ohio in 1851 and as a trustee of Ohio City helped with its merger with Cleveland. MAYORAL ADMINISTRATION OF CARL B. STOKES | Encyclopedia of Cleveland Campbell and then City Council President Frank Jackson had a falling out during her term, prompting his decision to run against her for mayor in 2005. View image gallery at Cleveland Public Library. prosecutor in the city's law department for 4 years. Carl and Shirley divorced in 1973, and he got custody of their children. Promises of Power (1973). Cleveland, They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. He married Raija Kostadinov, a former Finnish model in 1981. Legal Notice | Privacy Policy, Mather House, Room 308 For generations, the Stokes lived in Georgia. The National Archives has historic documents and teacher resources about actor and activist Paul Robeson. "I'm glad I was born during the times I was," he once said. He won and served for two years. After being called racial slurs in a restaurant, he chose to stay on base. Nelson Hayward was born in Massachusetts and came to Cleveland as a teenager in 1825. As the first elected black mayor of a major U.S. city, Cleveland's Carl B. Stokes embodied the transformation of the civil rights movement from a vehicle of protest to one of black political power.