Carl Burton Stokes was an American politician and diplomat of the Democratic party who served as the 51st mayor of Cleveland, Ohio.
Background
Mr. Stokes was born on June 21, 1927, in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. He is a son of Louise (Stone) and Charles Stokes, a laundryman who died when Carl was three years old. He and his brother, politician Louis Stokes, were raised by their mother in Cleveland's first federally funded housing project for the poor, Outhwaite Homes.
Education
Although a good student, Carl Stokes dropped out of high school in 1944, worked briefly at Thompson Products (later TRW), then joined the U.S. Army at age 18. After his discharge in 1946, Mr. Stokes returned to Cleveland and earned his high school diploma in 1947.
Mr. Stokes then attended several colleges before earning his bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1954. He graduated from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1956 and was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1957.
Mr. Stokes became a probation officer in 1954, serving at Cleveland Municipal Court until 1958, and, in 1962, the first black Democratic representative to the Ohio State Legislature. He was elected Mayor of Cleveland from 1967 to 1971, during a turbulent time of national protest movements. From 1972 until 1980 Carl Stokes worked as a television anchorman with WNBC in New York City.
He was elected to the Cleveland Municipal Court as a judge in 1983, a position he held until 1994. Mr. Stokes held the position of an adjunct professor of the department of political science at Case Western Reserve University from 1991. Between 1994 and 1996 he also acted as an Ambassador to Republic of Seychelles Department of State.
As mayor, Mr. Stokes opened city hall jobs to blacks and women. He was known as a strong administrator, and is remembered for his vision and motivation.
Membership
Elks
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United States
Gamma Eta Gamma
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United States
Kappa Alpha Psi
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United States
Connections
Carl Stokes married Shirley Joann Edwards on January 28, 1958. The couple divorced in October 1974. Mr. Stokes was a father of three children: Carl Burton, Cordi, Cordell. On January 3, 1980 he married Raija Kostadinov, but they divorced in 1993. He had one child from the second marriage, Cynthia.