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 |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Diane Onunwor |
| Education | B.A. and M.A. Cleveland State University |
Emmanuel Onunwor (born May 24,1952,as Emmanuel Onunwa) is a Nigeria-born American who served as the mayor of East Cleveland,Ohio.
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]
In 2009,his son,Clifton Onunwor,was sentenced to life in prison for killing his mother,Diane Onunwor. [7]
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