Wheeler, Albert Harold, 1915-1994.

Albert and Emma Wheeler were community and civil rights leaders from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Albert Wheeler was also professor of microbiology and dermatology at the University of Michigan. In addition, he and his wife helped to establish the local chapter of the NAACP. Albert Wheeler was elected to the office of mayor of Ann Arbor and served from 1975 to 1978.

Albert Harold Wheeler was born in St. Louis, Missouri on December 11, 1915 and it was here that he spent his childhood. In 1936 he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and in 1938 a Master of Science degree in microbiology from Iowa State College.

Emma Monteith Wheeler grew up in Columbia, South Carolina where, at the age of seven, she and her sister were witnesses to the lynching of a black man and the slashing of a pregnant black woman by a mob of whites. These events helped to define her resolve to fight for racial justice and equality.

It was at the University of Michigan in the late 1930s that the Wheelers met. They were both students in the School of Public Health, were awarded Master of Science in Public Health degrees in 1938 and married on April 15, 1938. In spite of the racial biases prevalent in Ann Arbor at the time, they chose to settle here and buy a home. Emma Wheeler chose to stay at home and raise their three daughters rather than pursue a professional career.

Albert Wheeler completed his Ph.D. in public health at the University of Michigan in 1944 and was hired by Dr. Reuben L. Kahn as a research associate in the Serology Laboratory. In 1952, Dr. Arthur Curtis appointed Wheeler to a newly created position in microbiology and he thus became the first African-American ever named to a tenure track position at the University of Michigan. He held joint appointments as assistant professor - with subsequent promotions to associate and full professor - in the departments of microbiology and dermatology. His specialty within his department was venereal disease, more exactly, syphilis. When Wheeler retired in 1981 he was named Professor Emeritus of Microbiology and Immunology.

As one of a handful of African-American professionals in Ann Arbor in the 1940s, Albert Wheeler was among the founding members of the Civic Forum, a forerunner to the NAACP and Congress for Racial Equality (CORE). The Civic Forum focused on issues relevant to the improvement of the lives of African-Americans in Ann Arbor, notably in the areas of housing, education and jobs. In the early 1950s members of the Forum approached the Ann Arbor Democratic Party which had been largely shut out of local politics with the idea of joining forces. These two groups formed an important coalition that became known as the "civil rights" party. Because of their urging, the city of Ann Arbor established the Human Relations Commission. The commission's purpose was to investigate discrimination in the city of Ann Arbor. Albert Wheeler served on the first Human Relations Commission. The Wheelers were also instrumental in founding a new Ann Arbor chapter of the NAACP in 1957, prior attempts at forming an active chapter having failed. This organization grew in strength as Emma Wheeler served as its president through 1971. Although the Civic Forum functioned for several years beyond 1957, the rebirth of the NAACP took on many of the Forum's issues, and the organization was eventually absorbed by the NAACP.

Housing, education, employment, legal justice, and community education were among the issues addressed by the NAACP. Emma Wheeler led the NAACP in fights leading to the passage of Ann Arbor's Fair Housing Ordinance, the first of its kind in the state of Michigan. It took several years of debate for passage to occur, including nightly picketing in front of City Hall for two years by members of the NAACP and the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE). Two fair housing laws were passed in 1965 and 1966. Prior to this, blacks were essentially told where they could live in the city of Ann Arbor, as specified in housing ads. Emma Wheeler was also concerned about matters of race as they affected the public school system. She worked to establish recognition of the needs of black high school students, to redefine school discipline policies that tended to be racially discriminatory, and to design the first racial integration plan for Ann Arbor public schools. Under the urging of the Wheelers and the NAACP, the city of Ann Arbor passed the Human Rights Ordinance in 1970. This anti-discrimination legislation included prohibitions on housing and other forms of discrimination.

Albert Wheeler was active on the state level as well. In 1961 he conceived and submitted a proposal to the Michigan Constitutional Convention that resulted in the establishment of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission. This commission was the first and only such commission of its kind in the United States. Dr. Wheeler was instrumental in convincing Governor John Swainson to obtain the required number of delegate signatures to place the proposal for consideration. He also played key roles in the Statewide Housing Conference and the Michigan Welfare League. From 1966 to 1969 Albert Wheeler served as president of the Michigan Conference of NAACP Branches. It was during these years that a great deal of racial confrontation took place in the state of Michigan, including the Detroit riots and the march from St. Joseph to Benton Harbor for housing integration.

Dr. Wheeler also served as the first chairman of the Washtenaw County Citizens for Economic Opportunity Committee and chaired the Planning Committee that developed the local Model Cities program. The program provided health care, dental care, legal assistance, and child care at low cost to clients who could not otherwise afford such services. Emma Wheeler served as chairwoman of the Model Cities Health Center from 1971 until it was shut down in 1981 amidst controversy over its finances.

In 1975 Albert Wheeler was elected the first black mayor of the city of Ann Arbor. This election was decided under a preferential voting system. When neither Wheeler nor his opponent, incumbent mayor James Stephenson, garnered a majority of the votes, the second choice of those voting for the third party candidate was counted. The result was a Wheeler victory. In 1977, he was reelected by one vote over his opponent Republican candidate Louis Belcher. This election was disputed by Belcher when it was discovered that several voters, who did not actually live in the city of Ann Arbor, had been registered by the city clerk. Wheeler subsequently lost a court ordered election to Belcher in 1978. While in office, Mayor Wheeler established both a city Human Services Department and a Fair Rental Practices Commission.

In addition to his civil rights and political interests Albert Wheeler was actively involved in the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. From 1970 to 1974 he was on leave from his University of Michigan appointment to serve as Director of the Department of Christian Service. In 1971 he was appointed by Cardinal Dearden as the first chairman of the National Campaign for Human Development Committee. This program collects monies from Catholic parishes and distributes them to local communities for self-help and self-empowerment projects.

Albert Wheeler received various gubernatorial appointments during the course of his public life. He was a member of the Commission to Study Problems of the Aging, the Michigan Advisory Committee to Study the Financing of Public Schools, and the Commission to Study Problems of Youth. From 1967 to 1976 he also served on the Michigan Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.

The Wheelers continued their active role in the political life of Ann Arbor as members of the Ann Arbor Democratic Party following retirement. They have long been recognized for their willingness to assist those in need through their assistance with housing, employment, and moral support. Albert Wheeler died on April 4, 1994.