Floyd J. McCree
| Floyd J. McCree | |
|---|---|
| Register of Deeds | |
|
In office 1971 – 1988[1] | |
| Succeeded by | Jeffrey Brohn |
| Constituency | Genesee County, Michigan |
| 82nd / 20th City Commission Mayor of the City of Flint, Michigan | |
|
In office 1966–1968 | |
| Preceded by | Harry K. Cull |
| Succeeded by | Donald R. Cronin.[2] |
| City Commissioner of the City of Flint, Michigan | |
|
In office 1958 – 1970[1] | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
1923 Webster Grove, MO |
| Died | 1988 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Leeberta[1] |
| Children | Melvin P., Byron, Anita and Marsha[1] |
| Alma mater | Lincoln University[1] |
Floyd J. McCree (1923–1988), was a Michigan politician. He was the first African American Flint City Mayor[2]
Early life
Mcree was born in Webster Grove, Missouri, in 1923. He went to high school in St. Louis and attended Lincoln University, Jefferson City.[1]
McCree served in the South Pacific in World War II in the Army, rising to the rank of staff sergeant. After leaving the service, he was hired in at the Buick foundry in Flint becoming a foreman. McCree was latter promoted to supervisor of maintenance.[1]
Political life
McCree was elected the Flint City Commission in 1958. The Flint City Commission selected him as Mayor for the years 1966-68. During his time as Mayor, he pushed for open housing and employment equal opportunity.
In 1967, he was involved in trying to end the violence in Detroit during the racial disturbances. That same year after the City Commission refused to adopt an open housing ordinance, he threatened to resign as Mayor. Other prominent black joined in threatening to resign from public boards. The open housing law was later adopted in a charged contested referendum. McCree continued serving on the City Commission until 1970.[1] In 1970, he was a Michigan state representatives candidate for the 82nd District.[3]
In 1971, McCree took office as Genesee County Register of deeds.[1][4] He ran for Mayor under a new charter that directly elected a strong mayor in 1975 and 1979 losing both times to James W. Rutherford.[5]
| Election | McCree votes | Rutherford votes[5] |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 20,474 | 20,679 |
| 1979 | 12,902 | 20,738 |
McCree continued to be elected County Register, but he died before the 1988 primary election.[1][6]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by |
Register of Deeds of Genesee County, Michigan ?–1988 |
Succeeded by Jeffrey Brohn |
| Preceded by Harry K. Cull |
Mayor of Flint 1966–1968 |
Succeeded by Donald R. Cronin |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Alfonso A. Narvaez (June 18, 1988). "F.J. McCree, Early Black Mayor". The New York Times. New York City: The New York Times Company. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
- 1 2 "List of Flint City Mayors". Political Graveyards.com. Lawrence (Larry) Kestenbaum. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
- ↑ "Index to Politicians: Mccornack to Mccullis -- McCree, Floyd J. Entry". Political Graveyards.com. Lawrence (Larry) Kestenbaum. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
- ↑ Fonger, Ron (2008-04-03). "Genesee County Register of Deeds Melvin McCree announces retirement, day after judge appoints guardian to oversee him". The Flint Journal. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
- 1 2 Raymer, Marjory (2007-08-09). "Two white candidates make history". The Flint Journal. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
- ↑ Mickle, Bryn (17 April 2008). "Former Register of Deeds Jeffrey Brohn claims arrest intended to keep him from running for office again". The Flint Journal. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved 4 February 2014.