G J Sutton
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Garlington Jerome (G.J.) Sutton (June 22, 1909-June 22, 1976) was the first black official elected from San Antonio, Texas.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life and marriage
G. J. Sutton was the eighth of fifteen children. His parents Samuel and Lillian were both educators with his father being one of the first black in Bexar County. He also served as principal of three high schools. All of his siblings graduated from college. His brothers included Percy Sutton (owner of Apollo Theater in New York City and attorney for Nation of Islam leader Malcolm X) and Oliver Sutton (judge on the New York Supreme Court).
Sutton attended Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, but earned his bachelor of science degree from Wilberforce University in 1932. He later gain a degree in mortuary science from Cincinnati College.
He married Jeffry Plummer with one daughter Jeffrine. He later married Lou Nelle Sutton in 1958 with whom he remained with until his death.
[edit] Business
In 1938, Mr. Sutton joined his brother to operate Sutton and Sutton Mortuary. The mortuary is still in business today. He also founded Gates of Heaven Memorial Gardens Cemetery in San Antonio. He is buried alongside his wife at that cemetery in the family plot.
[edit] Politics
Sutton served as a delegate to the 1960 Democratic National Convention. When the Texas House of Representatives redrew their districts in 1972, Sutton was elected the first black official from San Antonio. He served in that capacity until his death on his birthday in 1976. With the encouragement of his best friend Rev. Claude Black, his wife Lou Nelle Sutton would run and succeed her husband in the Texas House of Representatives.
There is a Federal building named in his honor, which is located in San Antonio.
[edit] Reference
San Antonio Express, June 23, 1976. "Who's Who among Black Americans, 1975-76".
