He drew the worlds attention to pollution in Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River. Later, as Cleveland City Council president, he greeted Abraham Lincoln when he visited Cleveland in February of 1861. Professor Canady instilled in him a passion for social activism and served as a mentor. [1][5] At the time of his election, Cleveland was a majority white city with a 37% black population. This article highlights some of the insights he graciously provided. Courthouse in Cleveland is an uncompleted span of disconnected, rusting metal beams jutting over rail tracks. [3] He narrowly lost a bid for mayor of Cleveland in 1965. Carl helped to blaze their trail. Updated: 6:32 PM EST February 3, 2022 CLEVELAND Carl Burton Stokes, Cleveland's first Black mayor was also the nation's first Black mayor of a major city. funds. Stokes left the Ohio Congress and had a failed run for Cleveland mayor in 1965. So many people who had spent their lives feeling disenfranchised by the system now felt that I was their mayor. He established Clevelands first Equal Employment Opportunity department and assembled an interracial cabinet. Prior to holding elected office, he was a thriving fur trader and served as treasurer of the Cleveland & Newburgh Railway. He became a partner in a banking firm and then a member of City Council before running unopposed for mayor. In November 2006, the Western Reserve Historical Society opened an exhibit entitled Carl and Louis Stokes: from Projects to Politics. Stokes was buried at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland.[11]. Finding aid for the Stokes Oral History Collection, WRHS. STOKES, CARL B. STOKES, CARL B. Carl Stokes, 68, Dies; Precedent-Setting Mayor - New York Times After his election, Stokes said, "I can find no more fitting way to end this appeal, by saying to all of you, in a more serious and in the most meaningful way that I can, that truly never before have I ever known to the extent that I know tonight, the full meaning of the words, 'God Bless America', thanks a lot. Herman M. Chapin was elected mayor even though he didn't know he was in the running. Brenton D. Babcock was an entrepreneur and a prominent Mason. He later became a news anchorman, judge, and a United States Ambassador.