Ted Berry
| Theodore M. Berry | |
|---|---|
| Born |
November 5, 1905 Maysville, Kentucky, United States |
| Died | October 15, 2000 (aged 94) Cincinnati, Ohio, United States |
| Alma mater |
University of Cincinnati University of Cincinnati College of Law |
| Occupation |
Civil rights attorney Politician |
| Spouse(s) | Johnnie Mae Berry |
Theodore M. Berry (November 5, 1905 – October 15, 2000), an American politician of the Charter Party of Cincinnati, Ohio, was the first African-American mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Born in poverty in Maysville, Kentucky, on November 5, 1905, Ted Berry overcame great obstacles to achieve personal success and gain a national reputation as a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He graduated from Woodward High School in 1924 and served as class valedictorian, the first African American to hold that honor in Cincinnati. In his senior year, he won an essay contest with an entry submitted under the pseudonym Thomas Playfair after an all-white panel had rejected his initial entry.
Berry worked at steel mills in Newport, Kentucky, to pay tuition at the University of Cincinnati and then at its law school.
Berry was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1932. He served as president of the Cincinnati branch of the NAACP from 1932 to 1946. In 1938 he was appointed the first black assistant prosecuting attorney for Hamilton County.
During World War II, Berry worked in the Office of War Information as a morale officer. The job took him to Washington, D.C. and also caused him to change his political affiliation from Republican to Democrat.
In 1945, Berry defended three black Army Air Force officers, members of the Tuskegee Airmen, who had protested a segregated officer's club in Indiana. He won acquittal for two of the men. In 1995, the Air Force pardoned the third who had been convicted.
From 1947 to 1961, Berry served on the NAACP Ohio Committee for Civil Rights Legislation where he worked on equal employment and fair housing issues. He was also involved with the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati.
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