Charles Diggs

Charles Diggs
Chair of the House District of Columbia Committee
In office
January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1979
Preceded byJohn L. McMillan
Succeeded byRon Dellums
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 13th district
In office
January 3, 1955 – June 3, 1980
Preceded byGeorge D. O'Brien
Succeeded byGeorge Crockett Jr.
Member of the Michigan Senate
from the 3rd district
In office
1951–1954
Preceded byHenry Kozak
Succeeded byCora Brown
Personal details
Born
Charles Coles Diggs Jr.

(1922-12-02)December 2, 1922
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedAugust 24, 1998(1998-08-24) (aged 75)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
(m. 1960; div. 1971)
EducationUniversity of Michigan
Fisk University
Wayne State University (BS)
Michigan State University
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1943–1945
Battles/warsWorld War II

Charles Coles Diggs Jr. (December 2, 1922 – August 24, 1998[1]) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Michigan who served in the state senate and U.S. House of Representatives. He was the first African American elected to Congress from Michigan.

A member of the Democratic Party, Diggs was an early participant in the civil rights movement. In September 1955, the Michigan Representative garnered national attention when he attended the trial of the two white Mississippians accused of murdering Emmett Till.[2] He was elected the first chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and was a staunch critic of the apartheid regime in South Africa.

Diggs resigned from the United States House of Representatives and served 14 months of a three-year sentence for mail fraud, although he maintained his innocence.

  1. ^ Haskins, James, Distinguished African American Political and Governmental Leaders. Oryx Press (1999), p.67. ISBN 9781573561266
  2. ^ Eyes on the Prize; Interview with Charles Diggs, retrieved 2021-01-25