Who was Carl Stokes? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Carl Burton Stokes

Died At Age: 68

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Raija Kostadinov, Shirley Edwards

father: Charles Stokes

mother: Louise (Stone) Stokes

children: Carl Stokes Jr., Cordell Stokes, Cordi Stokes, Cynthia Stokes, Sasha Kostadinov (stepson)

Black Leaders Political Leaders

political ideology: Democrat

Died on: April 3, 1996

place of death: Cleveland, Ohio

U.S. State: Ohio, African-American From Ohio

Cause of Death: Cancer

Ideology: Democrats

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Childhood & Early Life

Born as Carl Burton Stokes in a black family of Cleveland, Carl was the second son of Charles, a laundryman and Louise Stokes, a cleaning woman. He lost his father when he was very young.

His mother raised Carl and his brother Louis in a public housing project for the poor. It was his mother who stressed about the value of education during his early childhood. Though he was a good student but left the high school in 1944 and worked for Thompson Products for a brief period.

Later, he joined the U. S. Army and served in occupied Germany during the World War II. After his discharge from the Army in 1946, he attended West Virginia College.

Next, he studied psychology at the Cleveland College of Western Reserve University. For three years, he worked as an agent for Ohio’s State Department of Liquor Control.

In 1954, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in law from the University of Minnesota Law School. Later, he attended the Cleveland-Marshall Law School from where he earned his JD degree in 1956. At that time, he also worked as a probation officer in Cleveland.

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Career

In 1957, he joined the Ohio bar where he served as assistant city prosecutor. During this time, he was actively involved in various civil rights activities. At the same time, he was also an active member of the Democratic Party.

After leaving the post of assistant city prosecutor in 1962, he set up Stokes, Stokes - a law firm together with his brother Louis Stokes. In the same year, he was elected as the first black Democrat to the Ohio House of Representatives and won office in Cuyahoga County.

He worked for the committees of judiciary, industry and labour and public welfare. After serving here for three terms, he lost the Cleveland mayoral election in 1965. He won this election in 1967 by defeating Seth Taft who was the grandson of President William H. Taft.

At that time, racial discrimination in Cleveland was an issue of serious concern in America. During his tenure as mayor, he took initiatives to improve the economic condition of Cleveland. As part of his job, he took steps to increase the income tax of this city.

His plans such as establishing schools, housing projects, zoo and other city projects for the overall improvement of Cleveland won voter approval. It was Carl who worked for opening City Hall jobs for black people.

He took several steps to improve the condition of the poor and disadvantaged section of the society. He also worked hard for the reorganization of the police department of Cleveland.

‘Cleveland: Now!’, announced on May 1, 1968, was an initiative by him to rehabilitate the neighbourhood areas in Cleveland. To make the plan successful, he convinced the local businessmen of Cleveland to cooperate in a fundraising programme that aimed to preserve the inner peace of the city.

But his effort became futile when it came to light that the Glenville Shootout of 1968 was funded by ‘Cleveland: Now!’ This incident ruined his reputation and donations for his plan dried up.

He left the mayor’s post in 1971. After that, he shifted to New York City and the next year, he served the television station WNBC as an anchorman. After returning to Cleveland in 1980, he practised as a labour lawyer. He served as general counsel for the United Auto Workers. From 1983 to 1994, he served as a municipal judge in Cleveland.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed him as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Seychelles.

Personal Life & Legacy

In 1958, he tied the nuptial knot with Shirley Edwards whom he divorced in 1973. They had three children - Carl Jr., Cordi and Cordell.

He married Raija Kostadinov, a former Finnish model in 1981. With Raija, he had a daughter, Cynthia and a stepson, Sasha Kostadinov. They got divorced in 1993. He married for the third time in 1996.

While working as the Ambassador to the Seychelles, he was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. He breathed his last in Cleveland.

Trivia

This influential American politician used to deliver newspapers and work in local stores to support his family while he was very young.

Carl Stokes Biography