Howard Lee (1934- )
At many times in his life, Howard Lee was a trailblazer for Black politicians.
Born and raised in Georgia, Lee moved to North Carolina in 1964 to purse a master's degree at UNC. A burining cross in Lee's front lawn spurred Lee to start a career in local politics. Howard ran for the 1969 mayoral election against Roland Giduz, and won by 400 votes, making him the first mayor of Chapel Hill. Lee won his next two mayoral elections, and in 1972 he ran for Congress. Unfortunately, he lost the 1972 election, but that did not stop him. In 1976 he ran for Lieutenant Governor and lost, but found success in 1990 and became a North Carolina state senate. Lee is the first Black man in the South to hold a seat in the governor's cabinet. Lee also served as chair of the North Carolina Board of Education in 2003, making him the first Black chairman. Lee is currently the Executive Director of the North Carolina Education Cabinet.
To know more about Howard Lee go to:
[Photo of Howard Lee from a pamphlet published during his 1969 campaign for mayor of Chapel Hill, NC]. No date. Pamphlet. UNC Chapel Hill: North Carolina Collection. Wikimedia Commons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Howard_Lee.jpg (Accessed December 6, 2018)
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