Stokes, Carl, 1927-1996

Carl Burton Stokes (June 21, 1927 – April 3, 1996) was an American lawyer, jurist, television personality, politician, and diplomat. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 51st mayor of Cleveland, Ohio.

Born and raised in Cleveland, he dropped out of high school to work at Thompson Products, joining the U.S. Army at age 18. After his discharge in 1946, Stokes returned to Cleveland and earned his high school diploma in 1947. He then attended several colleges before earning his bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1954. Stokes graduated from Cleveland-Marshall Law School in 1956 and was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1957. For 4 years he served as assistant prosecutor for Cuyahoga County and became partner in the law firm of Stokes, Stokes, Character, and Terry, continuing that practice into his political career. Elected the first black Democrat to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1962, he served 3 terms; running as an independent, he narrowly lost a 1965 bid for mayor of Cleveland. Undaunted, in 1967, Stokes again sought election as Cleveland's mayor, winning the Democratic primary and defeating Seth Chase Taft, grandson of former President William Howard Taft, in the general election.

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