Jesse J. McCrary, Jr.
| Jesse J. McCrary Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 19th Florida Secretary of State | |
|
In office July 19, 1978 – January 2, 1979 |
|
| Governor | Reubin Askew |
| Preceded by | Bruce Smathers |
| Succeeded by | George Firestone |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 16, 1937 Blitchton, Florida |
| Died | October 29, 2007 (aged 70) Miami, Florida |
| Profession | Attorney |
Jesse James McCrary Jr. (September 16, 1937 – October 29, 2007) was an American lawyer from the U.S. state of Florida. A civil rights activist, he entered state politics and served as Secretary of State of Florida for five months from 1978-1979, becoming the first black member of the Florida Cabinet since the end of Reconstruction.
McCrary was born in 1937 in Blitchton, Florida, the son of a Baptist preacher. He attended Howard Academy in Ocala. There he was very active in sports, playing several sports. He was the quarterback of the school's championship football team. He was a political science major at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, where he was a civil rights activist, organizing sit-ins in Tallahassee. He was also on the debate team, a member of the drama club and an ROTC cadet. He did a stint in Army Intelligence before graduating from FAMU Law with his Juris Doctor in 1965.
In 1967, McCrary became Florida's first assistant Attorney General. He dealt with criminal appeals and advised the state Racing Commission. Three years later, he became the first black lawyer to argue a case before the Supreme Court of the United States on behalf of a Southern state (the case was Williams v. State of Florida; the court decided in favor of the state, which was seeking to uphold a law allowing six-person juries in non-capital criminal cases).
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