Richard Henry Austin (May 6, 1913 – April 20, 2001) was an American politician. A Democrat, he served as the Michigan secretary of state from 1971 to 1995, the first

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

elected to the position, the first to win election to any statewide office in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

except the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

, and the longest-serving Secretary of State in the state. Also the first Black

certified public accountant Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United Stat ...

in Michigan, he previously served from 1967 to 1971 as the first Black Wayne County auditor, and ran unsuccessfully for

mayor of Detroit This is a list of mayors of Detroit, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The current mayor is Mike Duggan, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2014. History of Detroit's executive authority During the earliest part of its history, Detroit was a ...

in 1969.

Early life and education

Austin was born in Stouts Mountain, Cullman County,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. His father, a coal miner, died when Austin was 11, after which his mother moved with her three sons to

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

; as a child he worked as a bootblack. After graduating first in his class from

Cass Technical High School Cass Technical High School (simply referred to as Cass Tech) is a four-year Public magnet high school in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. from the University Cultural Center Association, retrieved June 9, 1001 It was established in 19 ...

, he was awarded an athletics scholarship to Wayne University, but had to leave for financial reasons; working in a shoe store and taking night classes, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in

business administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

from the Detroit Institute of Technology in 1937, and in 1941 became the first Black certified public accountant in Michigan.

Professional career

In 1941, Austin founded the accounting firm of Richard H Austin & Co, which later became Austin, Washington & Davenport. After becoming Secretary of State in 1970, he sold the firm, which in 1971 became George Johnson & Company and now operates as GJC CPAs & Advisors.

Early political career

Austin served as an elected delegate for the Wayne County 6th District to the constitutional convention that produced the 1962 Michigan Constitution. In 1962 he also served on the Michigan State Board of Equalization and was elected to the Wayne County Board of Supervisors. He was co-chairman of the Michigan Commission on Legislative Apportionment from 1963 to 1965. In

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, he ran for Congress in Michigan's 1st congressional district, but lost to John Conyers in the Democratic Party primary election by 38 votes. He was elected the first Black Wayne County auditor in 1966. In 1969 he ran for

, leading in the nonpartisan primary but lost to fellow Democrat Roman Gribbs, 49% to 51%.

Michigan Secretary of State

In 1970, Austin was elected as the Michigan Secretary of State, making him the first Black person to hold that position in any U.S. state and also the first elected to any statewide office in Michigan except for the Supreme Court. He became the longest-serving Secretary of State in Michigan history, serving until January 1, 1995, when he lost a re-election campaign bid in 1994 to Republican Candice Miller. During his tenure, Austin emphasized road safety, supporting the enactment of laws mandating use of

seat belt A seat belt, also known as a safety belt or spelled seatbelt, is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the driver or a passenger of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt reduce ...

s and child safety seats, and retention of the law requiring

motorcycle helmet A motorcycle helmet is a type of helmet used by motorcycle riders. Motorcycle helmets contribute to motorcycle safety by protecting the rider's head in the event of an impact. They reduce the risk of head injury by 69% and the risk of death by 4 ...

s, and also achieving improvements to driver education and traffic safety. He also introduced mail-in vehicle registration renewals, license-plate tabs, and in 1975 the first " Motor Voter" law, a model for the

National Voter Registration Act of 1993 The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), also known as the Motor Voter Act, is a United States federal law signed into law by President Bill Clinton on May 20, 1993, that came into effect on January 1, 1995. The law was enacted u ...

. In

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

Austin unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Philip Hart.

Personal life and death

In 1939 Austin married Ida Dawson; they had a daughter. He died in Detroit on April 20, 2001, at the age of 87, from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

and

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. His papers are held at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

Legacy

In recognition of his service to traffic safety, Austin was placed on the Michigan Transportation Hall of Honor in 1996, and the annual award of the Michigan Governor's Traffic Safety Advisory Commission was renamed for him. The Treasury Building in Lansing was renamed to the Richard H. Austin building by an act of the state legislature in 2005.

References

External links

Political Graveyard Entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Richard H. 1913 births 2001 deaths American accountants Delegates to the 1961–1962 Michigan Constitutional Convention People from Cullman County, Alabama Michigan Democrats Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Michigan African-American people in Michigan politics Politicians from Detroit Cass Technical High School alumni Detroit Institute of Technology alumni Secretaries of state of Michigan 20th-century Michigan politicians 20th-century African-American politicians