Marion Barry

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Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr.
2nd Mayor of Washington, D.C. 4th Mayor of Washington, D.C.
In office January 2, 1979 – January 2, 1991 January 2, 1995 – January 2, 1999
Preceded by	Walter Washington (1979) Sharon Pratt Kelly (1995)
Succeeded by	Sharon Pratt Kelly (1991) Anthony A. Williams (1999)
Born	March 6, 1936 (1936-03-06) (age 72) Itta Bena, Mississippi
Political party	Democratic
Children	Christopher Barry Tamara Masters Wilds
Alma mater	Fisk University
Profession	Investment banking consultant; Ward 8 Representative, Council of the District of Columbia
Religion	Baptist
Website	www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/barry/

Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr. (born March 6, 1936) is an American politician who served as the second elected mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth mayor from 1995 to 1999. He was the target of a high-profile 1990 arrest on drug charges, which precluded him from seeking reelection that year. After he was convicted of the charges, Barry served 6 months in prison, but was elected to the D.C. council in 1992 and ultimately to the mayoralty in 1994, serving a second term from 1995 to 1999. Today, Barry serves on the Council of the District of Columbia, representing Ward Eight, which comprises Anacostia, Congress Heights, Washington Highlands and other neighborhoods.

Contents 1 Early life and activism 2 Washington, D.C. political career 3 Legal problems 3.1 1990 Trial 3.2 2005 Guilty Plea 3.3 2006 Traffic mishap 4 Election history 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Early life and activism

Barry was born in Leflore County, Mississippi, but grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. Barry graduated from LeMoyne College (now LeMoyne-Owen College) in 1958. Barry also earned a Masters of Science in organic chemistry from Fisk University in 1960. Barry is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity founded by African Americans. He is also an Eagle Scout.

After graduating from Fisk, Barry joined the American civil rights movement, focusing on the elimination of the racial segregation of bus passengers. He was elected the first chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He abandoned his doctoral chemistry studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee for his new duties. During his time leading SNCC, Barry heavily lobbied against racial segregation and discrimination.^{[citation needed]} Marion Barry married Effi Barry, his third wife, just before his first mayoral victory in 1978. The couple had one son, Christopher Barry. The Barrys divorced in 1993, but she returned to Washington and supported him in his successful bid for a city council seat in 2004. Effi died on September 6, 2007 after an 18-month battle with leukemia.

[edit] Washington, D.C. political career

In 1965, Barry moved to Washington, D.C. to open a local chapter of SNCC where he was heavily involved in coordinating peaceful street demonstrations. Two years later, Barry cofounded (with Mary Treadwell, who would become his second wife) Pride Inc., a federally funded program to provide job training to unemployed black men.

Barry served on the first city school board to implement school board elections, in 1971, and served as Board president during his tenure. Upon establishment of Washington's Home Rule in 1974, he was elected a member of Washington's first elected city council, and while serving as a council member became chair of the District of Columbia Committee on Finance and Revenue.

While serving on the D.C. city council, Barry was shot on March 9, 1977, by radical Hanafi Muslim terrorists when they overran the District Building. Barry was shot near his heart during the two-day 1977 Hanafi Muslim Siege in which hostages were held by the terrorists and which was finally defused by the FBI and Muslim ambassadors.

Having credentials as an activist, legislator, and hero in a hostage crisis, Barry followed in Washington's mayoralty when its first elected mayor, Walter Washington, fell out of political favor in the 1978 election. Barry was elected mayor of Washington, D.C. He was only the second person elected to this position. Barry was elected to three consecutive terms as mayor, holding the position for over a decade until his arrest and imprisonment on drug charges in 1990.

After being released from prison, Barry was successful in his 1992 bid for a city council seat, running under the slogan "He May Not Be Perfect, But He's Perfect for D.C." In 1995, soon after his election, Barry was successfully treated for prostate cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.^[1]

From 1995 to 2001, the federal government instituted a District of Columbia Control Board which deprived Barry and his successor as mayor of power to allocate and manage funds for city projects. Barry did not run for a fifth term in office. He was succeeded by Anthony A. Williams, the city's former Chief Financial Officer. After leaving office, Barry performed consulting work for an investment banking firm.

On June 12, 2004 Barry announced that he was running in the Democratic primary for the Ward 8 council seat, a position he held before becoming mayor. Barry received 58% of the vote, defeating the incumbent council member, Sandy Allen, on September 14, 2004.^[2] Barry received 95% of the vote in the general election, giving him a victory in the race to represent Ward 8 in the Council.^[3]

In 2005 Barry supported a Gasification Machine, whose inventor, Simon Romanna, said it could cheaply turn waste into efficient gas for electricity and clean water.^[4][5]

During the 2006 mayoral election, Barry endorsed Adrian Fenty despite Linda Cropp hiring many members of Barry's former political machine. Recently, however, Barry has publicly clashed with Fenty over DC United's proposed soccer stadium in Barry's Ward 8. Barry is the stadium's most outspoken supporter on the council, whereas Fenty has attempted to distance himself from his initial support for the project.^[6]

In July 2007, Marion Barry was chosen as one of fifty wax statues to debut in the Washington D.C. franchise of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Barry was chosen by a majority of Washington residents and tourists from Tussauds' "Top 10 Wish List," in a contest that pitted him against Cal Ripken, Al Gore, Denzel Washington, Carl Bernstein, Halle Berry, Martin Sheen, Marilyn Monroe, Nancy Reagan and Oprah Winfrey.^[7]

[edit] Legal problems

[edit] 1990 Trial

On January 18, 1990, Barry was arrested with a former girlfriend, Hazel "Rasheeda" Moore, in a sting operation at the Vista Hotel by the FBI and D.C. Police for crack cocaine use and possession. The incident – played over and over on television – showing an enraged Barry excoriating FBI informant Rasheeda Moore:

Goddamn setup . . . I'll be goddamn. Bitch set me up.^[8]

Barry was charged with three felony counts of perjury, 10 counts of misdemeanor drug possession, and one misdemeanor count of conspiracy to possess cocaine; however, in October 1990, he was convicted on only one charge: a single previous misdemeanor count of possessing cocaine which occurred during November of 1989. He was acquitted on one possession charge and a mistrial was declared on the 12 remaining charges.^{[citation needed]}

As a result of his arrest and the ensuing trial, Barry was forced to step down from his position as mayor. In the midst of his campaign for a city council seat, Barry was sentenced to a six-month federal prison term in October 1990.^[9]

[edit] 2005 Guilty Plea

On October 28, 2005, Barry pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charges stemming from an IRS investigation. At the mandatory drug testing at that hearing, he tested positive for cocaine and marijuana. On March 9, 2006, he was sentenced to three years probation for misdemeanor charges of failing to pay federal and local taxes, and continues to receive drug counseling.^[10][11]

[edit] 2006 Traffic mishap

On September 10, 2006, Barry was stopped by Secret Service Uniformed Division police officers and was charged with driving under the influence, operating a vehicle while impaired, driving an unregistered vehicle, and misuse of temporary tags. He was acquitted of the drunk driving charges on June 13, 2007.^[12]

[edit] Election history

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1994 Mayor of the District of Columbia, Democratic Primary Election^[13]

Marion Barry Jr. (D) 47%

John Ray (D) 37%

Sharon Pratt Kelly (D) 13%

Otis Holloman Troupe (D) 1%

Don Reeves (D) 0%

Osie Thorpe (D) 0%

Don Folden Sr. (D) 0%

Write-in 1%

1994 Mayor of the District of Columbia, General Election^[14]

Marion Barry Jr. (D) 56%

Carol Schwartz (R) 42%

Curtis Pree (I) 0%

Jodean M. Marks (ST) 0%

Jesse Battle, Jr. (I) 0%

Faith (I) 0%

Aaron Ruby (I) 0%

Write-in 1%

2004 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 8, Democratic Primary Election^[2]

Marion Barry (D) 58%

Sandy (Sandra) Allen (D) 25%

William O. Lockridge (D) 7%

"S.S." (Sandra Seegars) (D) 5%

Jacque D. Patterson (D) 4%

Joyce Scott (D) 1%

Frank Sewell (D) 0%

Write-in 0%

2004 Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 8, General Election^[3]

Marion Barry (D) 95%

Cardell Shelton (R) 4%

Write-in 1%

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Marion Barry: Making of a Mayor
• Official website for Councilman Barry
• Former D.C. First Lady Effi Barry Dies
• The Barry Years: 40 Years of Committed Public Service

Preceded by Walter Washington	Mayor of the District of Columbia 1979–1991	Succeeded by Sharon Pratt Kelly
Preceded by Sharon Pratt Kelly	Mayor of the District of Columbia 1995–1999	Succeeded by Anthony A. Williams
Preceded by Sandra "Sandy" Allen	Ward 8 Representative, Council of the District of Columbia 2005–	Succeeded by incumbent