Archer, Dennis W. (Dennis Wayne), 1942-

Dennis Wayne Archer (born January 1, 1942) is an American lawyer, jurist and former politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he notably served as the 67th Mayor of Detroit, Michigan, the second African American to serve in the office, from 1994 to 2001.

Born in Detroit, Michigan and raised there and in rural Cassopolis, Michigan, he graduated from Ross Beatty High School in Cassopolis before attending Wayne State University, the Detroit Institute of Technology, and Western Michigan University, earning a B.S. degree from the latter. He initially had planned to be a history teacher but later transferred to being a special education teacher at Ralph Bunche Elementary School, located just east of downtown Detroit. From 1965 to 1970, Archer taught disabled children in Detroit Public Schools. Archer earned a J.D. degree from the Detroit College of Law, now the College of Law of Michigan State University, in 1970. After earning his law degree, Archer began working for the law office of Gragg & Gardener, P.C. He left the firm in 1971 to help found Hall, Stone, Archer & Glenn. In 1983, Archer was named president of the National Bar Association. The following year, he was elected president of the State Bar of Michigan. In 1985, Archer was appointed by Governor James Blanchard to serve as an associate justice on the Michigan Supreme Court. He was elected to an eight-year term but resigned in 1990. In addition to practicing law in Detroit, Archer was an associate professor at the Detroit College of Law from 1972 to 1978 and an adjunct professor at Wayne State University Law School from 1984 to 1985.

Archer began his campaign for Mayor of Detroit in 1990, running against longterm incumbent Mayor Coleman Young, seeking reelection to serve his sixth term in office. After Young dropped out of the race, Archer faced Young's handpicked successor, Sharon McPhail. Running on a platform of bridging the gap between the suburban and urban populations of Detroit and on a plank against casinos, he defeated McPhail, picking up 57 percent of the vote. Archer would be re-elected in 1997 with 83 percent of the vote. During his tenure, he worked to repair the city's relations with the Detroit suburbs and the local business community through cooperation with suburban business leaders on their redevelopment plans for the city. One of his major economic contributions to Detroit was attracting the tech giant Compuware to the city. During his tenure the city saw its bond rating upgraded multiple times. When he became mayor the city was still tracking most complex financial processes on file cards. Archer introduced computerization to most city departments. His administration also initiated a work force development program. Archer was a strong supporter of numerous construction projects in downtown Detroit, including two new stadiums, Ford Field for the Detroit Lions and Comerica Park for the Detroit Tigers. Archer also became president of the National League of Cities during his last year as mayor.

Upon leaving office as Mayor of Detroit in January 2002, Archer was appointed as chairman of Detroit-based law firm Dickinson Wright, and the board of directors of Compuware. He is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. In 2004, he was appointed to an eight-year term ending December 31, 2012 on the board of trustees of the Western Michigan University by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. He was appointed legal guardian for Rosa Parks in October 2004. On December 1, 2017, Archer released his memoir, Let the Future Begin, co-written with Elizabeth Ann Atkins.