James Leroy Usry (February 2, 1922 – January 25, 2002) was the first

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

Mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, New Jersey, was incorporated on May 1, 1854. It is governed within the Faulkner Act (formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law) under the mayor–council system of municipal government (Plan D), implemented by direct pe ...

. He was also a professional basketball player.

Biography

He was born on February 2, 1922, in

Athens, Georgia Athens is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Downtown Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta. The University of Georgia, the state's flagship public university and an Research I university, ...

. Usry graduated from

Atlantic City High School Atlantic City High School (ACHS) is a comprehensive high school, comprehensive State school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Atlantic City, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic Count ...

and earned a bachelor's degree in 1946 from Lincoln University. From 1946 to 1951, he was a professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player with the

New York Renaissance The New York Renaissance, also known as the Renaissance Big R Five and as the Rens, were the first black-owned, all-black, fully-professional basketball team in history, established in October 1923, by Robert "Bob" Douglas. They were named after t ...

and

Dayton Rens The Dayton Rens were a member of the National Basketball League (NBL) for the 1948–49 season and were the only all-black team to play in a white league. This milestone came just one year after Jackie Robinson, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, b ...

. In 1971, he earned a master's degree from

Glassboro State College Rowan University is a public research university in Glassboro, New Jersey, with a medical campus in Stratford and medical and academic campuses in Camden. Founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a site donated by 107 residents, the scho ...

. A Republican, Usry served as mayor from 1984 to 1990, after defeating Mayor Michael J. Matthews in a recall election. From 1952 to 1984, Usry was an educator in the

Atlantic City School District Atlantic City School District is a comprehensive community public school district in Atlantic City, in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The district serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2020–2 ...

, where he served as assistant superintendent from 1977 to 1984. On March 20, 1987, Usry was nominated by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

for a two-year term on the National Advisory Council on Educational Research and Improvement. On July 28, 1989, Usry was arrested with 13 other political leaders following an investigation into municipal corruption. He was charged with bribery, conspiracy, official misconduct and accepting unlawful gifts. In 1990, Usry was succeeded as mayor by

Jim Whelan James "Jim" Whelan (November 8, 1948 – August 22, 2017) was an American Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey State Senate where he represented the 2nd Legislative District, from January 8, 2008, until his death. Early ...

."Atlantic City's Ex-Mayor Pleads Guilty to a Campaign Violation"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', December 11, 1991. Supporters claimed the race had been rigged. All major charges against Usry were dropped when he pleaded guilty to improper reporting of campaign contributions and agreed to perform 60 hours of community service with the Salvation Army. He died on January 25, 2002, in

Absecon, New Jersey Absecon (, ) is a city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,137, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 726 (+8.6%) from the 2010 census count of ...

."James L. Usry, the first Black mayor of Atlantic City, Succumbs At 79"
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Usry, Jim 1922 births 2002 deaths 20th-century African-American politicians 20th-century mayors of places in New Jersey 21st-century African-American sportsmen African-American mayors in New Jersey American athlete-politicians American educators American men's basketball players Atlantic City High School alumni Basketball players from Atlantic County, New Jersey Centers (basketball) Dayton Rens players Forwards (basketball) Lincoln Lions men's basketball players Mayors of Atlantic City, New Jersey New Jersey Republicans New York Renaissance players Rowan University alumni Sportspeople from Athens, Georgia New Jersey politicians convicted of crimes Black conservatism in the United States