Percy Sutton | |
---|---|
21st Manhattan Borough President | |
In office September 13, 1966 – December 31, 1977 | |
Preceded by | Constance Baker Motley |
Succeeded by | Andrew Stein |
Personal details | |
Born | Percy Ellis Sutton November 24, 1920 San Antonio, Texas, US |
Died | December 26, 2009 New York City, US | (aged 89)
Resting place | Gates of Heaven Memorial Cemetery, San Antonio |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Leatrice O'Farrel Sutton |
Alma mater | Prairie View A&M University Tuskegee Institute Hampton Institute Columbia Law School Brooklyn Law School (LLB) |
Occupation | Activist in the Civil Rights Movement, entrepreneur, lawyer[1] |
Military service | |
Branch/service | United States Army Air Corps |
Years of service | 1941-1945 |
Rank | Captain |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Percy Ellis Sutton (November 24, 1920 – December 26, 2009) was an American political and business leader. An activist in the Civil Rights Movement and lawyer, he was also a Freedom Rider and the legal representative for Malcolm X. He was the highest-ranking African-American elected official in New York City when he was Manhattan borough president from 1966 to 1977, the longest tenure at that position. He later became an entrepreneur whose investments included the New York Amsterdam News and the Apollo Theater in Harlem.[1]