Harvey Johnson, Jr.

Harvey Johnson, Jr.

Harvey Johnson, Jr., is a former mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, and the first African-American mayor of that city, having served two terms from 1997-2005.

Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Johnson attended the Vicksburg Public Schools, graduating from Temple High School. He received a bachelor's degree in political science from Tennessee State University and a master's degree in political science from the University of Cincinnati.

His professional career includes the founding of the Mississippi Institute of Small Towns, a non-profit agency developed to assist small economically depressed towns with minority leadership with housing, community development and infrastructure needs.

In 1993, Johnson ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Jackson, placing third in the Democratic primary behind two white candidates, incumbent mayor J. Kane Ditto and former mayor Dale Danks. But in 1997, Johnson defeated Ditto in the Democratic primary, and later defeated Republican opponent Charlotte Reeves in the general election, becoming Jackson's first African-American mayor.

Supporters credited Johnson with overseeing a dramatic renaissance in the city, leading the charge for several projects to help revive a decaying downtown area, including the revitalization of the Farish Street entertainment district and the strong passage of a controversial bond issue to build a convention center. Critics charged that he was an unresponsive leader who was not appropriately concerned with the city's large crime problem, neglected the maintenance of streets, and did little to curb the exodus of Jackson's upper- and middle-class residents to places outside the city limits.

In 2005, Johnson was challenged in the Democratic primary by Frank Melton, a controversial TV station manager who promised to solve the city's crime problem in 90 days while giving few specific crime plans, making crime the central focus of the election. Critics charged that Johnson said crime was only a "perception," although his perception complaints were, in fact, about the "perception of hopelessness" that he argued that crime sensationalism by the media promoted in the city. Even though Johnson did not actually say that crime was only a "perception," the phrase "perception of crime" was used widely by opponents and critics of the incumbent mayor. Melton defeated the incumbent by 63 percent of the vote in the Democratic Primary. Melton went on to easily defeat Republican challenger Rick Whitlow in the general election and succeeded Johnson as mayor of Jackson.

Johnson is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established by African Americans.

External links

[http://www.mayorharveyjohnson.com/index.html Re-Elect Mayor Harvey Johnsons]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Harvey Johnson — can refer to: * Harvey E. Johnson, Jr., retired US Vice Admiral and C.O.O. of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) * Harvey H. Johnson (1808–1896), U.S. Congressional Representative from Ohio * Harvey Johnson, Jr., mayor of Jackson,… …   Wikipedia

  • Harvey Jerome Brudner — Brudner in 2007 Born May 29, 1931(1931 05 29) Brooklyn, New York Died September 15, 2009( …   Wikipedia

  • Harvey E. Johnson, Jr. — Harvey E. Johnson Jr., retired Vice Admiral, United States Coast Guard, is the Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). CareerCoast Guard careerJohnson began his career as a deck watch… …   Wikipedia

  • Harvey Martin — Position(en): Defensive End Trikotnummer(n): 79 geboren am 16. November 1950 in Dallas, Texas gestorben am 24. Dezember 2001 in Grapevine, Texas Karriereinformationen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Harvey Magee Watterson — (* 23. November 1811 im Bedford County, Tennessee; † 1. Oktober 1891 in Louisville, Kentucky) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker. Zwischen 1839 und 1843 vertrat er den Bundesstaat Tennessee im US Repräsentantenhaus. Werdegang Harvey… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Harvey Washington Wiley — Har …   Wikipedia

  • Johnson (Familienname) — Johnson ist ein Familienname. Herkunft und Bedeutung Johnson ist eine patronymische Namensbildung, abgeleitet vom englischen Vornamen John (deutsch: Johannes). Namensträger Inhaltsverzeichnis A B C D E F G H I J K L …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Johnson County, Kansas — Johnson Courthouse in Olathe …   Wikipedia

  • Harvey C. Barnum, Jr. — Harvey Curtiss Barnum, Jr …   Wikipedia

  • Harvey H. Johnson — Harvey Hull Johnson (September 7, 1808 February 4, 1896) was a U.S. Representative from Ohio.Born in West Rutland, Vermont, Johnson attended the common schools and Middlebury Academy.He studied law.He was admitted to the bar in 1833 and commenced …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”