Background
DeGraffenreidt was born in Kansas City, Missouri and reared in Hollandale, Mississippi.
DeGraffenreidt was born in Kansas City, Missouri and reared in Hollandale, Mississippi.
DeGraffenreidt was born in Kansas City, Missouri and reared in Hollandale, Mississippi. He died in South Florida on February 25, 2009. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry from Tougaloo College, near Jackson, Mississippi, and a Master of Science degree in Zoology from Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pennsylvania.
He was notable as the first African-American commissioner in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Additionally, he was the teacher for several programs for the Broward County School"s Independent Television Center, including a program that focused on the contributions of minorities to the development of the United States. In 1973, Andrew DeGraffenreidt was elected as the first African American city commissioner of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
He was part of the commission which elevated Virginia South. Young to the position of mayor, the first woman to hold the post in the city, and the first female mayor of a large city in Florida.
During his three terms in office, he worked to establish a Youth Advisory Board and improve city infrastructure. He also pushed for the hiring of more minorities in the city"s police department.
He played a key role in the opening of the Von Doctorate. Mizell Community Center in Fort Lauderdale"s historically black Dorsey-Riverbend neighborhood. He was also the first African-American superintendent of Parks for the city.
DeGraffenreidt also was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress in the crowded 1976 Democratic primary.
He left the commission in 1979. The city of Fort Lauderdale named the DeGraffenreidt Activity Center in Bass Park in his honor. After leaving office, DeGraffenreidt continued to serve on the city"s Parks, Recreation, and Beaches Advisory Board.
He was active with the United Way, Northwest Boys Club Advisory Board, Broward County Charter Commission Municipal Government Task Force, and served as an adviser to the Miami Herald"s "Newspapers in " program