Kenneth Reeves

Kenneth Reeves (born 1951) served as the mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, from 1992 to 1995 and again from 2006 to 2007. He is the first openly gay African-American man to have served as mayor of any city in the United States.[1]

Kenneth Reeves
Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts
In office 2006–2007
Preceded by	Michael A. Sullivan
Succeeded by	E. Denise Simmons
In office 1992–1995
Preceded by	Alice Wolf
Succeeded by	Sheila Russell
Personal details
Born	1951 (age 69–70)
Political party	Democratic Party
Alma mater	Harvard, University of Michigan Law School

Reeves attended Detroit's public schools and graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1968. After one year at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, Reeves headed to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to attend Harvard University where he earned his degree in American history and literature in 1973. In 1976, Reeves graduated from the University of Michigan Law School.[2]

Cambridge's elections are non-partisan, but he identifies himself with the Democratic Party. Reeves is a graduate of Harvard College. While mayor, he was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,[3] an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino.

Reeves has stopped paying the annual fee to the Massachusetts Bar in 1998 and therefore is suspended from practicing law. He stated that he does not see the logic in paying the Bar while he is not actively practicing law.[4]

Reeves was succeeded as mayor in 2008 by E. Denise Simmons, who became the first openly lesbian African-American mayor in the United States.

See also

• List of first African-American mayors
• List of the first LGBT holders of political offices
• List of mayors and city managers of Cambridge, Massachusetts
• 2013 Cambridge, Massachusetts municipal election

References

1. Carpenter, Brent Dorian (February 12, 2004). "HIZZONER! An Interview with Mayor Kenneth Reeves". PrideSource. Archived from the original on February 28, 2005. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
2. https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/honorable-kenneth-e-reeves
3. "Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members". Archived from the original on 2008-01-18. Retrieved on June 18, 2007
4. http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/news/x1532153897/Reeves-booted-for-not-paying-legal-Bar-tab

External links

• City of Cambridge: Office of the Mayor Official Site
• Interview with P.O.V PBS
• Mayors Against Illegal Guns homepage