The first African American mayor of Cincinnati was a Maysville native.
According to local historian Ron Bailey, Theodore M. Berry was born in Maysville on Nov. 8, 1915.
“His mother was a laundress, and she was deaf and mute. She, along with young Theodore and the rest of the family move to Cincinnati, Ohio when he is still very young,” Bailey said.
According to Bailey, in 1914, Berry enrolled in the Harriet Beecher Stowe School for underprivileged migrant African American children.
Bailey said, “He was such a gifted and excellent student and later he became the first African American Valedictorian at Woodward High School.”
Berry later enrolled at the University of Cincinnati and began working as an iron worker at Newport Rolling Mill.
In 1928, he was the only African American in his class. He joined the Cincinnati College of Law and obtained a Bachelor of Laws in 1931. From there, he was admitted to the Ohio Supreme Court Bar. In 1939, he was appointed as assistant prosecutor of Hamilton County.
“He was the first African American to hold the post,” Bailey said. “He was one of the first African Americans to be elected to city council in Cincinnati.”
His term on the council ran from 1950-1951. In 1957, he was elected to the council again.
“This time, he was appointed vice mayor by Mayor Charles Taft,” Bailey said.
Berry was also a member of the NAACP National Board of Directors and a leader in the Civil Rights movement.
“He was invited to the White House at least three times during John F. Kennedy’s presidency.”
On Dec. 1, 1972, Berry was sworn in as mayor of Cincinnati. He served for four years, according to Bailey.
Berry died on Oct. 16, 2000. He was 94 years old.
The city of Cincinnati has a street and a park named for Berry.
