After serving as the first African American Mayor of Shelby County, this Tennessee Democrat took office as Mayor of Memphis in 2009. He held membership in the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition and was recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation for his work on crime prevention and economic development. After earning a degree in political science from Tennessee State University, he attended law school at the University of Mississippi and subsequently began a nearly three-decade-long college teaching career.
