Emmanuel Onunwor (born May 24, 1952, as Emmanuel Onunwa) is a Nigeria-born American who served as the mayor of East Cleveland, Ohio.
Emmanuel Onunwor | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of East Cleveland, Ohio | |
| In office January 1, 1998 – September 1, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Wallace D. Davis |
| Succeeded by | Saratha Goggins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 24, 1952 Port Harcourt, British Nigeria |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Diane Onunwor |
| Education | B.A. and M.A. Cleveland State University |
Biography edit
Onunwor was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria where he attended primary and secondary schools.[1] In 1980, he immigrated to the United States where he earned a B.A. and M.A. in urban studies at Cleveland State University.[1]
In the November 1997 general election, running as a non-partisan, he defeated incumbent mayor Wallace D. Davis with 62.56% of the vote.[1] He was sworn in on January 1, 1998[1] becoming the first African-born Black mayor in the United States.[2] In the November 2001 general election, running as a Republican, he was re-elected with 71.19% of the vote defeating Democrat Eric J. Brewer (who would later win election as mayor in 2005).[1] After being convicted for racketeering, extortion, mail fraud, and tax evasion,[3] he resigned on September 1, 2004.[1] He was succeeded by the East Cleveland City Council President, Democrat Saratha Goggins, the first female mayor of East Cleveland.[1][4]
In September 2005, he was sentenced by U.S. District Court judge James S. Gwin to nine years in prison.[5][6] At sentencing, Onunwor stated: "I apologize to my family, my friends and the citizens...I did wrong. I deserve to be punished.[6]
Personal life edit
In 2009, his son, Clifton Onunwor, was sentenced to life in prison for killing his mother, Diane Onunwor.[7]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g "Emmanuel Onunwor". ourcampaigns.com. November 9, 2019.
- ^ "FBI Executes Search Warrant at East Cleveland City Hall". The Times-Reporter. December 4, 2003.
He became the first black, African-born mayor in the United States when he was elected in 1997, according to the Atlanta-based National Conference of Black Mayors
- ^ Salvato, Albert (September 1, 2004). "Midwest: Ohio: Mayor Convicted Of Seeking Bribes". The New York Times.
- ^ Caniglia, John; Ott, Thomas (September 1, 2004). "Onunwor, Still Jailed, To Quit As Mayor". The Plain Dealer.
- ^ "News Release 2 September 2005 2". Archived from the original on 7 August 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
- ^ a b Tobin, Mike (September 3, 2005). "Ex-mayor, co-felons sentenced in bribe case". The Plain Dealer.
- ^ Tobin, Mike (August 21, 2009). "Clifton Onunwor sentenced to life for killing his mother". The Plain Dealer.