Charles H. Mahoney | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1886-05-29)May 29, 1886 Decatur, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | January 29, 1966(1966-01-29) (aged 79) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Fisk University |
| Occupations | Attorney, politician and businessman |
| Known for | First African-American delegate to theUnited Nations |
| Spouse | |
Charles Henry Mahoney (May 29, 1886 – January 29, 1966) was an American attorney, politician, and businessman, and the firstAfrican American appointed as a delegate to theUnited Nations.[1][2] Mahoney was also the first African American to serve on the Detroit Planning Commission, the Wayne County Board of Supervisors and the Michigan Labor Council.[2]
Mahoney was born inDecatur, Michigan, on May 29, 1886, to Barney, and his wife, Viora Simpson.[1][3] Mahoney attended grade school in Decatur.[1][4] He attendedOlivet College where he was renowned by professors as giving the best speech in the history of the college.[5] He later received hisBachelor of Arts degree fromFisk University,[6] before going on to attend law school at theUniversity of Michigan where he graduated in 1911.[3]
In 1918,Detroit MayorJames Couzens appointed Mahoney to the Detroit City Planning Commission, the first African American to serve in such a capacity.[3] In 1925, he was hired by theNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People to be the defense attorney for Dr.Ossian Sweet and 10 other defendants who had been accused of murder, eventually serving as an associate attorney toClarence Darrow who was later hired for the case.[2][7] The case ended with Sweet's acquittal.[7] In 1928, Mahoney co-founded the Great Lakes Mutual Insurance Company, serving as the first President of the company until his departure in 1957.[3][8][6] In 1939, he was appointed to theMichigan Department of Labor and Industry, by theGovernor of Michigan,Frank Fitzgerald.[3]
On July 26, 1954, Mahoney was nominated byPresidentDwight D. Eisenhower to serve as part of adelegation to the ninth session ofUnited Nations General Assembly, under the leadership ofambassadorHenry Cabot Lodge Jr.[9] Mahoney wasconfirmed by theU.S. Senate as part of the nine member delegation on August 7, 1954.[10]
In 1955, he helped organize the Public Bank of Detroit, becoming a member of itsboard of directors.[3] Mahoney was a member of theRepublican Party.[11][12][2] He twice unsuccessfully campaigned for election toCongress.[2]
Mahoney died at theHenry Ford Hospital, in Detroit, Michigan, on January 29, 1966.[3] He was buried at the Evergreen Cemetery in Detroit.[3]
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