Melvin Redmond
Melvin Redmond | |
|---|---|
| Born | Melvin Earvin Redmond Sr. October 5, 1935 Red Lick, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | October 13, 2005 (aged 70) Vicksburg, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Burial place | Cedar Hill Cemetery, Vicksburg, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Education | Alcorn State University, Chicago Technical College |
| Occupations | Alderman, elected official, acting mayor, deputy tax assessor |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Beulah M. Washington |
| Children | 4 |
Melvin Earvin Redmond Sr. (October 5, 1935 – October 13, 2005)[1] was an American elected official and politician who served as an alderman of Vicksburg, Mississippi.[1] He was the city's first Black elected official after the Reconstruction era;[1][2][3] and also served as the acting mayor of Vicksburg[4] in 1988.[5]
Life and career
Melvin E. Redmond Sr. was born in October 5, 1935, in Red Lick, Mississippi.[6][7] He attended Bowman High School,[8] Alcorn State University, Chicago Technical College.[4] He served in the US Army for three years.[8] Before becoming an alderman, he worked at White Store,[6][8] served on the school board,[9] and was deputy tax assessor in Warren County.[6][10] He married Beulah M. Washington, and together they had four children.[11]
Redmond was elected alderman of Vicksburg's North Ward in 1976, and remained in the role until 1992.[1][11] His alderman's office was located at Vicksburg City Hall.[12] In 1988, Redmond served as interim mayor after the resignation of Demery Grubbs.[5] Redmond ran for mayor in the subsequent special election but lost[10] to Robert Walker.[5] In 1988, he switched allegiances to the Republican Party;[13][10] in 1993, he returned to the Democratic Party but lost his bid for re-election as alderman.[1][14]
From 1993-2002, he worked as the director of government affairs and community at the Isle of Capri Casino.[1]
Redmond died at age 70 on October 13, 2005, at the River Region Medical Center (now Merit Health River Region) in Vicksburg.[1][6] He was predeceased by his wife.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Former city alderman Redmond dies at 70; [10/15/05]". Vicksburg Post (Obituary). October 15, 2005. Archived from the original on September 14, 2025.
- ^ Sewell, George A.; Dwight, Margaret L. (August 16, 2011). Mississippi Black History Makers. University Press of Mississippi. p. 93. ISBN 978-1-62846-976-9 – via Google Books.
- ^ Jennings, Tara (May 17, 1989). "Redmond Surges, Claims Runoff Win". The Vicksburg Post. p. 1. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ a b "Redmond wants to tap city's most valuable resource – its people". The Vicksburg Post. March 28, 1988. p. 1. Retrieved September 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Across the Nation". Focus. 16–18. Joint Center for Political Studies: 4. 1988.
The first black mayor of Vicksburg was Alderman MELVIN REDMOND, Walker's immediate predecessor and one of his election rivals. Redmond had assumed the post after the former mayor, DEMERY GRUBBS, resigned on February 14, 1988. Walker will complete Grubb's unexpired term, which ends in December 1991.
- ^ a b c d "Melvin E. Redmond Sr". The Vicksburg Post (Obituary). October 20, 2005. p. 11. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
- ^ "Entry for Melvin Ervin Redmond". Family Search. United States Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936–2007. October 13, 2005.
- ^ a b c "Melvin Redmond has New Position at White Store". The Vicksburg Post. March 13, 1970. p. 5. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ "Redmond Seeks Position of Alderman". The Vicksburg Post. April 20, 1977. p. 5. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Melvin Redmond, Vicksburg's First Black Elected Office, Dies". Sun Herald. Associated Press. October 18, 2005. p. 8. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ a b "Redmond Asks Re-Election As North Ward Alderman". The Vicksburg Post. April 12, 1981. p. 9. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
- ^ "African American Heritage Tour". Visit Vicksburg.
- ^ "(Four more MS Dem elected officials)". The Hotline: The Daily Briefing on American Politics. 2 (214–246). The Network: 16. 1989.
- ^ "Alderman Melvin Redmond Logged 16 Good Years". The Vicksburg Post. May 23, 1993. p. 4. Retrieved October 16, 2025.