Jesse J. McCrary Jr.

Jesse McCrary
19thFlorida Secretary of State
In office July 19, 1978 – January 2, 1979
Governor	Reubin Askew
Preceded by	Bruce Smathers
Succeeded by	George Firestone
Personal details
Born	Jesse James McCrary Jr. (1937-09-16)September 16, 1937 Blitchton, Florida,U.S.
Died	October 29, 2007(2007-10-29)(aged 70) Miami, Florida,U.S.
Alma mater	Florida A&M University(BA,JD)
Profession	Attorney

Jesse James McCrary Jr.(September 16, 1937 – October 29, 2007) was anAmerican lawyerfrom theU.S. stateofFlorida.Acivil rights activist,he enteredstate politicsand served asSecretary of State of Floridafor five months from 1978 to 1979, becoming the firstblackmember of theFlorida Cabinetsince the end ofReconstruction.He was inducted into theFlorida Civil Rights Hall of Fame.

Early life and education

McCrary was born in 1937 inBlitchton, Florida,the son of aBaptistpreacher.He attendedHoward AcademyinOcala.He was thequarterbackof the school's championshipfootballteam. He was apolitical sciencemajor atFlorida Agricultural and Mechanical University,where he was a civil rights activist, organizingsit-insinTallahassee.He was also on the debate team, a member of the drama club and an ROTC cadet. He served in theMilitary Intelligence Corpsbefore graduating fromFlorida A&M University College of Lawwith hisJuris Doctorin 1965.

Career

In 1967, McCrary became Florida's first assistantAttorney General.He dealt with criminal appeals and advised the state Racing Commission. Three years later, he became the first black lawyer to argue a case before theSupreme Court of the United Stateson behalf of aSouthernstate (the case wasWilliams v. State of Florida;the court decided in favor of the state, which was seeking to uphold a law allowing six-personjuriesin non-capital criminal cases).

In the 1970s, McCrary was apartnerin thelaw firmMcCrary, Ferguson and Leethrough. He issued a report critical ofOpa-locka'sgovernment and police department, was theDade County School Board'sfirst black attorney, and was appointed by GovernorReubin Askewto a Florida Industrial Commission judgeship. At the time, he was Florida's highest-paid black official.

After returning to private practice for five years, McCrary was appointed in 1977 to the Florida Constitution Revision Commission by Askew. The following year, Askew appointed himSecretary of State of Floridato finish the unexpired term of Bruce Smathers, who had resigned to run for governor.As Secretary of State, he recommended judicial appointees to the governor.

McCrary returned to private practice in 1979 and was active in the community in the 1980s and 1990s. He represented an embattled county commissioner in a public corruption scandal. He was part of the effort to have the board allowsingle-member districts.In 1991, he served as the unpaid chair of a local community services organization which he saved form bankruptcy. In 2000, he was appointed to the Board ofMiami Children's Hospital.In 2001, he was named to a commission that made recommendations to Senior JudgeLenore C. Nesbittin a federal condemnation suit brought by theNational Park Serviceto acquire land forEverglades National Park.In 2003, theFlorida Legislaturepassed a resolution recognizing his work on ten landmark Florida Supreme Court cases.

Death

McCrary died in 2007 oflung cancer.

References

Sources

• Brecher, Elmer."Civil rights trailblazer dies of lung cancer".Miami Herald.RetrievedOctober 31,2007.
• "House 9101: A resolution honoring Jesse J. McCrary, Jr".Online Sunshine.2003.RetrievedOctober 31,2007.
• Richardson, Ullyssia R. (January 22, 2003)."Community to honor attorney Jesse McCrary 36 years of service".Miami Times.Vol. 80, no. 21. p. 1A. Archived fromthe originalon November 1, 2006.RetrievedOctober 31,2007.
• "Secretary of State History".Florida Department of State.Archived fromthe originalon October 16, 2007.RetrievedOctober 31,2007.
• "Online Catalog".State Archives of Florida.Archived fromthe originalon June 28, 2004.RetrievedOctober 31,2007.
• "Williams v. Florida, 399 U.S. 78".Justia.1970.RetrievedOctober 31,2007.
• "Welcome".The Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Bar Association.Archived fromthe originalon May 1, 2007.RetrievedOctober 31,2007.