Bosley, Freeman, 1954-

<p><b>RACES</b>
<ul>
<li> 03/06/2001 St. Louis Mayor - D Primary Lost 41.02% (-12.50%)</li>
<li> 03/04/1997 St. Louis Mayor - D Primary Lost 42.90% (-13.44%)</li>
<li> 04/06/1993 St. Louis Mayor Won 66.49% (+49.28%)</li>
<li> 03/02/1993 St. Louis Mayor - D Primary Won 44.04% (+7.98%)</li>
<li> 11/06/1990 St. Louis City Circuit Court Clerk Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
</ul>
</p>

<p>Freeman R. Bosley Jr. (born July 20, 1954 in St. Louis, Missouri) was the 43rd mayor of St. Louis (from 1993 to 1997), and the city's first African-American mayor.</p>

<p>Bosley graduated from Central High School in 1972 and went on to attend Saint Louis University and Saint Louis University School of Law. He graduated from Saint Louis University in 1976 with two undergraduate degrees, a B.A. in Urban Affairs and a B.A. in Political Science. He received his Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University School of Law in 1979. While a student at Saint Louis University, Bosley was president of the Black Student Alliance and the Black-American Law Students Association, organizations that were formed during the Civil Rights Movement.</p>

<p>Upon graduation from law school, Bosley was staff attorney for Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, specializing in Consumer Affairs and Utility Companies. Bosley has also been employed by the law firm of Boast and Jordan.</p>

<p>Freeman Roberson Bosley, Jr., is the first African American Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri. Bosley was born in St. Louis on July 20, 1954, the son of Freeman Roberson and Marjorie Bosley. His father, a long-time alderman in St. Louis, unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 1985. Bosley received a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Affairs in 1976 and a Juris Doctor (law) degree in 1979 from St. Louis University. Active in politics as both an undergraduate and a law student, Bosley served as the clerk of the Circuit Courts for eleven years, beginning in 1982, and was the city of St. Louis’s Democratic Party chairman from 1991 to 1993.</p>

<p>In 1993, at the age of 38, Bosley, a Democrat, was elected mayor defeating a relatively unknown Republican, John Gorman, and two independent candidates by winning 67 percent of the vote. He won the Democratic primary over frontrunner Thomas Villa and his 1 million dollar campaign war chest by going door-to-door in African American, white, and racially-mixed neighborhoods accompanied by his wife and their two-year-old daughter. His platform promoted racial harmony, reduced crime, and improved public schools. He also proposed to allocate more funds for neighborhood redevelopment.</p>

<p>Shortly after assuming office, Bosley announced his intention to lobby for an end to St. Louis’s ten-year-old school desegregation program. The program bused about 14,500 African American students to predominantly white schools in St. Louis County, although 47 of the city’s 106 school districts were still virtually African American. While appreciating the need for school desegregation, Bosley believed the program had hurt the city by encouraging parents to leave the city. Bosley preferred to use the federal money the city received to upgrade schools in all of the city’s neighborhoods. Also during Bosley’s first year in office, the city’s South Side was threatened by flood waters. Although the city reported hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damages, Bosley’s initially controversial order to shut off power and evacuate homes ultimately helped to protect residents’ lives. Bosley also led the effort to relocate the Los Angeles Rams (California) football team to St. Louis.</p>

<p>Mayor and lawyer Hon. Freeman Robertson Bosley, Jr., the first African American mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, was born on July 20, 1954 in St. Louis to Marjorie Ellen and Freeman Bosley, Sr. Public service was instilled in Bosley by his father, a prominent citizen of “the Ville” in North St. Louis. Bosley, Sr. was elected city alderman in 1977 and unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 1985. Bosley attended Farragut Elementary School and was a student activist at the predominantly white Central High School, graduating in 1972. He enrolled at Saint Louis University, where he received B.A. degrees in urban affairs and in political science in 1976. During college, Bosley was mentored by Ernest Calloway, a civil rights activist and professor at Saint Louis University. Bosley went on to attend the Saint Louis University School of Law, earning his J.D. degree in 1979. While at Saint Louis University, Bosley was elected president of the Black Student Alliance and the Black-American Law Students Association.</p>

<p>After law school, Bosley worked as a staff attorney for the Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, specializing in consumer affairs and utility companies. He was later employed by the law offices of Bussey & Jordan. Inspired in law school by U.S. District Court Judge Clyde Cahill, Bosley helped in the political campaigns of Charles Quincy Troupe and Charles Bussey. In 1982, Bosley became the first African American Circuit Clerk of Courts for the 22nd Judicial Circuit, a position he held for ten years. During this time, he also served as the 3rd Ward Democratic Committeeman before being elected the St. Louis Democratic Party Chair in 1990. Bosley's political leadership set the stage for his successful mayoral run, winning the April 6, 1993 election with 66.5% of the vote.</p>

<p>Early in his term, Bosley oversaw the safe evacuation of 10,000 residents during the Great Flood of 1993. He later helped to orchestrate the $70 million bailout of Trans World Airlines (TWA), resulting in the airline relocating its world headquarters to the city. He facilitated the move of the Los Angeles Rams football team to St. Louis in 1995, leading to a 2000 Super Bowl win. Bosley's administration passed two property tax increases, successes that generated an additional $40 million of revenue for the city. Bosley ran for re-election in 1997 but lost to the African American police chief, Clarence Harmon, in the Democratic Primary. Bosley also ran unsuccessfully for mayor in the Democratic Primary in 2001. After leaving office, Bosley practiced law with the law firm Caldwell & Singleton and joined two other former mayors, James Conway and Vincent Schoemehl, as leaders in the group Citizens for Home Rule. Bosley started his own law practice, Bosley & Associates, in 2004 and continues to serve as mentor to young legal and political hopefuls.</p>