Mike Espy

Mike Espy
25th United States Secretary of Agriculture
In office
January 22, 1993 – December 31, 1994
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byEdward Madigan
Succeeded byDan Glickman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Mississippi's 2nd district
In office
January 3, 1987 – January 22, 1993
Preceded byWebb Franklin
Succeeded byBennie Thompson
Personal details
Born
Alphonso Michael Espy

(1953-11-30) November 30, 1953 (age 70)
Yazoo City, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpousePortia Ballard
Children3
RelativesChuck Espy (nephew)
Henry Espy (brother)
EducationHoward University (BA)
Santa Clara University (JD)
WebsiteCampaign website

Alphonso Michael Espy (born November 30, 1953)[1] is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 25th United States secretary of agriculture from 1993 to 1994. He was both the first African American and the first person from the Deep South to hold the position. A member of the Democratic Party, Espy previously served as the U.S. representative for Mississippi's 2nd congressional district from 1987 to 1993.

In March 2018, Espy announced his candidacy for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Thad Cochran. Espy placed second in the November 6 nonpartisan special election before facing Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith in a November 27 runoff. Espy lost the runoff, but garnered more than 46% of the vote in what was the closest U.S. Senate election in Mississippi since 1988. He was the Democratic nominee again in the 2020 election and lost to Hyde-Smith by ten percentage points.

  1. ^ Applebome, Peter (December 25, 1992). "THE TRANSITION; Clinton's Last Selections for the Cabinet Reflect His Quest for Diversity". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2020.