David Dinkins
Encyclopedia
David Norman Dinkins is a former politician from New York City. He was the Mayor of New York City
from 1990 through 1993; he was the first and is, to date, the only African American to hold that office.
, and raised by his father, his parents having separated when he was six years old. He moved to Harlem as a child but returned to Trenton and attended Trenton Central High School
, where he graduated in 1945 in the top 10 percent of his class. After graduation, he attempted to enlist in the United States Marine Corps
, but was told that a racial quota had been filled. He served in the Marine Corps from 1945 through 1946.
Dinkins graduated magna cum laude from Howard University
with a degree in mathematics. He later graduated from Brooklyn Law School
.
organization in Harlem
and became part of an influential group of African-American politicians that included Denny Farrell
, Percy Sutton
, Basil Paterson
, and Charles Rangel; the latter three together with Dinkins were known as the "Gang of Four
". As an investor, Dinkins was one of fifty African American investors who helped Percy Sutton
found Inner City Broadcasting Corporation
in 1971. He served briefly in the New York State Legislature
.
Dinkins was named Deputy Mayor by Mayor Abraham D. Beame but was ultimately not appointed. He served as President of the Board of Elections from 1972 to 1973, and City Clerk from 1975 to 1985. He was elected Manhattan Borough President
in 1985 on his third run for that office. Dinkins was elected Mayor of New York City on November 7, 1989, defeating three-term incumbent Mayor Ed Koch
and two others in the Democratic primary and Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani
in the general election.
Dinkins was elected in the wake of a corruption scandal that involved several Democratic leaders in New York City. Mayor Koch, the presumptive Democratic nominee, was politically damaged by the corruption in his administration and his handling of racial issues, and among the candidates Dinkins was his greatest challenger. Additionally, the fact that Dinkins is African-American helped him avoid criticism he was ignoring the black vote by campaigning to whites. A large turnout of African-American voters was vital to his election and he campaigned throughout the city.
In 1990, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
reported that Dinkins was a member of the Democratic Socialists of America
.
and the 1991 Crown Heights riot
. When Lemrick Nelson
was acquitted of killing Yankel Rosenbaum during the riot, Dinkins said "I have no doubt that in this case the criminal-justice system has operated fairly and openly."
Although rates of most crimes, including all categories of violent crime, made consecutive declines during the last 36 months of his four-year term, ending a 30-year upward spiral and initiating a trend of falling rates that continued beyond his term, Dinkins was hurt by the perception that crime was out of control during his administration. Dinkins also initiated a hiring program that expanded the police department nearly 25%.
, earning 48.3 percent of the vote, down from 51 percent in 1989. Although he was a moderate with a substantial history of building coalitions and supporting Jewish causes, one factor in his loss was his perceived indifference to the plight of the Jewish community during the Crown Heights riot
.
During his final days in office, Dinkins made last-minute negotiations with the sanitation workers, presumably to preserve the public status of garbage removal. Incoming mayor Giuliani blamed Dinkins for a "cheap political trick" when Dinkins planned the resignation of Victor Gotbaum
, Dinkins' appointee on the Board of Education, thus guaranteeing his replacement six months in office. Dinkins also signed a last minute 99-year lease with the USTA National Tennis Center, including strict limitations on flights in and out of neighboring LaGuardia Airport
during the US Open.
's School of International and Public Affairs. Each year Columbia hosts the Annual David N. Dinkins Leadership and Public Policy Forum. In 2011 the 14th Annual Forum focused on Crisis in State Budgets, with keynote speaker U.S. Senator Kristen Gillibrand
. Although he has not attempted a political comeback, he has remained somewhat active in politics, and his endorsement of various candidates, including Mark J. Green
in the 2001 Mayoral race, was well-publicized. He supported Democrats Fernando Ferrer
in the 2005 New York mayoral election and Bill Thompson
in 2009.
In the campaign for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, Dinkins served as an elected delegate for Hillary Clinton from New York.
A 2009 report looking back at the Dinkins administration suggested that its legacy was not as negative as Giuliani stated, noting:
radio in New York City.
Dinkins is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
and Sigma Pi Phi
("the Boule"), the oldest collegiate and first professional Greek-letter
fraternities
, respectively, established for African Americans.
. Dinkins also sits on the Honorary Founders Board, having worked with the Jazz Foundation to save the homes and the lives of America's elderly jazz and blues musicians, including musicians who survived Hurricane Katrina
, since its inception.
Mayor of New York City
The Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
from 1990 through 1993; he was the first and is, to date, the only African American to hold that office.
Early life
Dinkins was born in Trenton, New JerseyTrenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
, and raised by his father, his parents having separated when he was six years old. He moved to Harlem as a child but returned to Trenton and attended Trenton Central High School
Trenton Central High School
Trenton Central High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Trenton, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Trenton Public Schools....
, where he graduated in 1945 in the top 10 percent of his class. After graduation, he attempted to enlist in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, but was told that a racial quota had been filled. He served in the Marine Corps from 1945 through 1946.
Dinkins graduated magna cum laude from Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
with a degree in mathematics. He later graduated from Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn Law School is a law school located in Brooklyn Heights, in Downtown Brooklyn, New York.-History:Founded in 1901 by William Payson Richardson and Norman P. Heffley, Brooklyn Law School was the first law school on Long Island. Using space provided by Heffley’s business school, the law...
.
Political career
Dinkins rose through the Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
organization in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
and became part of an influential group of African-American politicians that included Denny Farrell
Herman D. Farrell
Herman D. Farrell, Jr. represents District 71 in the New York State Assembly, which comprises the Manhattan neighborhoods of West Harlem, Inwood and Hudson Heights....
, Percy Sutton
Percy Sutton
Percy Ellis Sutton was a prominent black American political and business leader. A civil-rights activist and lawyer, he was also a Freedom Rider and the legal representative for Malcolm X...
, Basil Paterson
Basil Paterson
Basil Alexander Paterson , a labor lawyer, is a longtime political leader in New York and Harlem and father of the 55th Governor of New York, David Paterson. His mother was Jamaican, his father Grenadian.-Early life:...
, and Charles Rangel; the latter three together with Dinkins were known as the "Gang of Four
Gang of Four (Harlem)
The Gang of Four, also known as the Harlem Clubhouse, was an African-American political coalition from Harlem whose members later ascended to top political posts. It is named after the Gang of Four of China...
". As an investor, Dinkins was one of fifty African American investors who helped Percy Sutton
Percy Sutton
Percy Ellis Sutton was a prominent black American political and business leader. A civil-rights activist and lawyer, he was also a Freedom Rider and the legal representative for Malcolm X...
found Inner City Broadcasting Corporation
Inner City Broadcasting Corporation
The Inner City Broadcasting Corporation is an American media company based in New York City. ICBC is notable for being one of the first broadcasting companies wholly owned by black people...
in 1971. He served briefly in the New York State Legislature
New York Legislature
The New York State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. The New York Constitution does not designate an official term for the two houses together...
.
Dinkins was named Deputy Mayor by Mayor Abraham D. Beame but was ultimately not appointed. He served as President of the Board of Elections from 1972 to 1973, and City Clerk from 1975 to 1985. He was elected Manhattan Borough President
Borough president
Borough President is an elective office in each of the five boroughs of New York City.-Reasons for establishment:...
in 1985 on his third run for that office. Dinkins was elected Mayor of New York City on November 7, 1989, defeating three-term incumbent Mayor Ed Koch
Ed Koch
Edward Irving "Ed" Koch is an American lawyer, politician, and political commentator. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and three terms as mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989...
and two others in the Democratic primary and Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
in the general election.
Dinkins was elected in the wake of a corruption scandal that involved several Democratic leaders in New York City. Mayor Koch, the presumptive Democratic nominee, was politically damaged by the corruption in his administration and his handling of racial issues, and among the candidates Dinkins was his greatest challenger. Additionally, the fact that Dinkins is African-American helped him avoid criticism he was ignoring the black vote by campaigning to whites. A large turnout of African-American voters was vital to his election and he campaigned throughout the city.
In 1990, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
reported that Dinkins was a member of the Democratic Socialists of America
Democratic Socialists of America
Democratic Socialists of America is a social-democratic organization in the United States and the U.S. affiliate of the Socialist International, an international federation of social-democratic,democratic socialist and labor political parties and organizations.DSA was formed in 1982 by a merger of...
.
Mayoralty
Dinkins entered office pledging racial healing, and famously referred to New York's demographic diversity as a "gorgeous mosaic." Dinkins's term was marked by polarizing events such as the boycott of Korean-owned groceries in FlatbushFlatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
and the 1991 Crown Heights riot
Crown Heights riot
The Crown Heights Riot was a three-day riot in the United States that occurred August 19–21, 1991. It took place in the Crown Heights neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn....
. When Lemrick Nelson
Lemrick Nelson
Lemrick Nelson, Jr. is an African-American man who stabbed Hasidic student Yankel Rosenbaum to death during the racial unrest of the 1991 Crown Heights riot...
was acquitted of killing Yankel Rosenbaum during the riot, Dinkins said "I have no doubt that in this case the criminal-justice system has operated fairly and openly."
Although rates of most crimes, including all categories of violent crime, made consecutive declines during the last 36 months of his four-year term, ending a 30-year upward spiral and initiating a trend of falling rates that continued beyond his term, Dinkins was hurt by the perception that crime was out of control during his administration. Dinkins also initiated a hiring program that expanded the police department nearly 25%.
1993 election
In 1993, Dinkins lost to Republican Rudy GiulianiRudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
, earning 48.3 percent of the vote, down from 51 percent in 1989. Although he was a moderate with a substantial history of building coalitions and supporting Jewish causes, one factor in his loss was his perceived indifference to the plight of the Jewish community during the Crown Heights riot
Crown Heights riot
The Crown Heights Riot was a three-day riot in the United States that occurred August 19–21, 1991. It took place in the Crown Heights neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn....
.
During his final days in office, Dinkins made last-minute negotiations with the sanitation workers, presumably to preserve the public status of garbage removal. Incoming mayor Giuliani blamed Dinkins for a "cheap political trick" when Dinkins planned the resignation of Victor Gotbaum
Victor Gotbaum
Victor H. Gotbaum was an American labor leader. From 1965 to 1987, he was president of AFSCME District Council 37 , the largest municipal union in New York City.-Biography:...
, Dinkins' appointee on the Board of Education, thus guaranteeing his replacement six months in office. Dinkins also signed a last minute 99-year lease with the USTA National Tennis Center, including strict limitations on flights in and out of neighboring LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...
during the US Open.
Later career and legacy
Dinkins is a Professor in the Practice of Public Affairs at Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's School of International and Public Affairs. Each year Columbia hosts the Annual David N. Dinkins Leadership and Public Policy Forum. In 2011 the 14th Annual Forum focused on Crisis in State Budgets, with keynote speaker U.S. Senator Kristen Gillibrand
Kirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten Elizabeth Rutnik Gillibrand is an attorney and the junior United States Senator from the state of New York and a member of the Democratic Party...
. Although he has not attempted a political comeback, he has remained somewhat active in politics, and his endorsement of various candidates, including Mark J. Green
Mark J. Green
Mark J. Green is an author, public interest lawyer and a Democratic politician who lives in New York City. He worked with Ralph Nader from 1970-1980, eventually as director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch, and is also the former president of Air America Radio .He was New York City Consumer...
in the 2001 Mayoral race, was well-publicized. He supported Democrats Fernando Ferrer
Fernando Ferrer
Fernando James "Freddy" Ferrer was the Borough President of The Bronx from 1987 to 2001, and was a candidate for Mayor of New York in 2001 and the Democratic Party nominee for Mayor in 2005.- Background :...
in the 2005 New York mayoral election and Bill Thompson
Bill Thompson (New York)
William Colridge Thompson, Jr. , known as Bill or Billy, was the 42nd Comptroller of New York City. Sworn into office on January 1, 2002, he was reelected to serve a second term that began on January 1, 2006. He left office on December 31, 2009, having been succeeded by John Liu...
in 2009.
In the campaign for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, Dinkins served as an elected delegate for Hillary Clinton from New York.
A 2009 report looking back at the Dinkins administration suggested that its legacy was not as negative as Giuliani stated, noting:
- Significant accomplishments in lowering the crime rate and increasing the size of the New York Police Department later in the administration, and the hiring of Raymond W. KellyRaymond W. KellyRaymond Walter Kelly is the current Commissioner of the New York City Police Department and the first person to hold the post for two non-consecutive tenures. A lifelong New Yorker, Kelly has spent 31 years in the NYPD, serving in 25 different commands and as Police Commissioner from 1992 to 1994...
as police commissioner; - The cleanup and revitalization of Times SquareTimes SquareTimes Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
, including persuading the Walt Disney Corporation to rehabilitate an old 42nd Street theater; - Major commitment to rehabilitation of dilapidated housing in northern Harlem, the South Bronx and Brooklyn despite significant budget constraints-—more housing rehabilitated in a single term than Mr. Giuliani did in two terms;
- The USTA lease, which in its final form Mayor Bloomberg called "the only good athletic sports stadium deal, not just in New York but in the country";
- Mental-health facility initiatives; and
- Policies and actions that decreased the size of the city's homeless shelter population to its lowest point in 20 years.
Personal life
Dinkins is married to Joyce Dinkins (née Burrows); they have two children. The couple are members of the Church of the Intercession in New York City. Dinkins' radio program "Dialogue with Dinkins" can be heard Saturday mornings on WLIBWLIB
WLIB is an urban contemporary gospel AM radio station located in New York City. WLIB is owned by Inner City Broadcasting Corporation along with sister station WBLS...
radio in New York City.
Dinkins is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
and Sigma Pi Phi
Sigma Pi Phi
Sigma Pi Phi is the first African-American Greek-lettered organization. Sigma Pi Phi was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 1904. The fraternity quickly established chapters in Chicago, IL and then Baltimore, MD....
("the Boule"), the oldest collegiate and first professional Greek-letter
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
fraternities
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
, respectively, established for African Americans.
Humanitarian causes
Dinkins sits on the Board of Directors of The Jazz Foundation of AmericaJazz Foundation of America
The Jazz Foundation of America is a non-profit organization based in Manhattan, New York founded in 1989. The JFA’s programs help jazz and blues musicians in need of emergency funds and connect them with performance opportunities in schools and the community...
. Dinkins also sits on the Honorary Founders Board, having worked with the Jazz Foundation to save the homes and the lives of America's elderly jazz and blues musicians, including musicians who survived Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, since its inception.
1989 NYC Democratic ticket
- Mayor: David Dinkins
- City Council President: Andrew SteinAndrew SteinAndrew Stein was a Democratic politician who served on the New York City Council and was its last President, and as Manhattan Borough President. Stein's father is Jerry Finkelstein, the retired multi-millionaire publisher of the New York Law Journal, among other publications...
- Comptroller: Elizabeth HoltzmanElizabeth HoltzmanElizabeth Holtzman is an American lawyer and former Democratic politician, pioneer woman officeholder, four term U.S. Representative , two term District Attorney of Kings County , and New York City Comptroller .Her role on the House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate scandal drew national...
1993 NYC Democratic ticket
- Mayor: David Dinkins
- Public Advocate: Mark J. GreenMark J. GreenMark J. Green is an author, public interest lawyer and a Democratic politician who lives in New York City. He worked with Ralph Nader from 1970-1980, eventually as director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch, and is also the former president of Air America Radio .He was New York City Consumer...
- Comptroller: Alan HevesiAlan HevesiAlan G. Hevesi is a Democratic politician whoserved as a New York State Assemblyman from 1971 to 1993, as Comptroller of the City of New York from 1994 to 2001, and as State Comptroller for the State of New York from 2003 to 2006...
External links
- David Dinkins's oral history video excerpts at The National Visionary Leadership Project