Albert Tresvant

Albert Tresvant (April 15, 1926 – July 25, 2004)[2] was an American politician who served as the first African-American commissioner and mayor of Opa-Locka, Florida and first African-American mayor in Dade County.

Albert Tresvant
Mayor of Opa-Locka, Florida
In office
April 18, 1975  April 1976
Preceded byKenton Wells
Succeeded byCandido Giardino
City Council of Opa-locka, Florida
In office
January 1972  June 1977
Personal details
Born
Albert Tresvant

April 15, 1926
Brunswick, Georgia
DiedJuly 25, 2004 (age 78)
Political partyDemocratic[1]
SpouseVirginia Wilkinson
Children6

Biography

Tresvant was born in Brunswick, Georgia.[3] When he was five, his mother died and he moved to Liberty City neighborhood of Miami where he was raised by his aunt and grandmother.[3] He attended Liberty City Elementary School and is a graduate of D.A. Dorsey Senior High School.[3] After school he ran his own upholstery business before getting involved in politics.[3] In 1956, he established the Opa-locka Civic Club to organize the Black community on improving the city.[3] In 1964, his first run for the City Commission received national attention although he lost receiving little white support.[4] In January 1972, Tresvant was nominated by commissioner Bert T. Goodson to fill a vacancy on the City Commission and unanimously appointed[5] due to his record of civic involvement and the commission's desire to have minority representation.[1] His appointment followed on riots that occurred in 1971 after a white police officer shot a black man.[1][6] At the time, Opa-locka was roughly 35-40% Black[4] and there was no district gerrymandering as City Commissioners in Opa-locka were elected at-large[1] with the largest vote-getter becoming mayor.[7] In April 1972, after serving the 3 months of his predecessor's term, Tresvant won a seat on the City Commission finishing third (656 votes) after Ronald Pierson (831 votes) and Lawrence Bowers (672 votes).[8] His term was for two years (In Opa-Locka, elections to the 5-member City Commission are held every two years; the top two vote getters are elected to 4-year terms with the first serving a 2-year term as mayor and then a 2-year term as commissioner; the second serving a 2-year term as deputy mayor and then a 2-year term as commissioner; and the third vote-getter serving a 2-year term as commissioner).[9]

In the 1974 election, Tresvant tied for first place with Kenton Wells; they decided to split the two-year mayoral term with Wells serving the first year and Tresvant's term beginning in 1975.[10][7] Both men would serve as city commissioner during the other's mayor ship.[11] He was sworn in on April 18, 1975.[4]

Upon becoming mayor, he inherited a tense situation as riots had occurred during Well's term which Tresvant blamed on Dade county for repeatedly rejecting Opa-locka's requests for additional funds to provide better housing and drug programs.[12] He also worked to hire more Black police officers inheriting a department where only 3 out of 28 officers were Black.[4] During his administration, he was able to secure more police protection for Black neighborhoods,[1] appointed more Blacks into city government,[13] and developed infrastructure. In the April 1976 general election, Candido Giardino was elected as mayor (Tresvant was unable to run due to his remaining two-year term on the City Commission).[14]

In June 1977, he was suspended as commissioner by Governor Rubin Askew over corruption allegations.[15] In July 1977, he was found guilty of conspiracy, soliciting bribes and accepting unlawful compensation in connection with a city building contract along with then mayor Candido Giardino[16] (the Rev. Willie R. Young was elected mayor in April 1978); the sentence was overturned and a new trial ordered by Circuit Court Judge Wilkie Ferguson after one juror failed to disclose a past criminal conviction and another juror complained that Tresvant had followed her into the parking lot during the trial.[17][18] The Third District Court of Appeal reinstated the conviction.[17]

Personal life

He was married to Virginia Wilkinson;[13] they had five daughters[19] and a son.[3] He died on July 25, 2004.[3]

References

  1. "Interviewee: Albert W. Tresvant". University of Florida Oral History Project - The Dr. James Button project. September 16, 1975. I am 49 now...
  2. "Albert Tresvant". Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  3. Daniel, Trenton (July 27, 2004). "First Black Mayor in Dade". The Miami Herald.
  4. Brecher, John (April 17, 1975). "Mayor Maps New Opa-Locka". The Miami Herald.
  5. Sink, Steve (January 29, 1972). "Opa-Locka Gets Its First Black Commissioner". The Miami Herald.
  6. Gjebre, Bill (April 18, 1974). "Opa-locka Riot Spurred Tresvant to Make Race". The Miami Times.
  7. Maeder, Jay (April 18, 1974). "2 Untie Opa-locka Election - Split Mayor's Term". The Miami Herald.
  8. "First Black is Elected in Opa-locka; Pierson, Bowers, Tresvant Lead Vote". The Miami Herald . April 19, 1972.
  9. Barger Jr., Fred J. (April 21, 1970). "Five Seek Three Seats in Opa-Locaka Election". The Miami Herald.
  10. "Two mayors; one town". Dixon Evening Telegraph. April 20, 1974. Wells and Tresvant tied in the election for mayor of Opa-locka, so they decided that each of them would serve half the two-year term. Wells will serve the first year
  11. "Solomon Solution Graces Opalocka - HON. WILLIAM LEHMAN OF FLORIDA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES" (PDF). United States House of Representatives Congressional Record. April 22, 1974. p. 11233. The two candidates for mayor wound up in a dead heat for the office, tied at 819 votes apiece. Nobody claimed fraud, nobody demanded a recount; the impending mayors just decided to split the term. Kenton Wells, who is white, will be mayor the first year; Albert Tresvant, who is black, will be mayor the second. Meanwhile both will be city com- missioners when they are not mayor
  12. "Opa-locka Orders Probe Into Rioting". The Miami News. December 17, 1974.
  13. Saunders, Sterling (August 26, 2009). "First Lady of Opa-locka". The Miami Times.
  14. Grossman, Cathy Lynn (June 7, 1977). "Opa-locka Vice Mayor Seeks Manager's Ouster". The Miami Herald.
  15. "Two Opa-locka Officials Suspended". Orlando Sentinel. June 8, 1977.
  16. Buchanan, Jim (July 9, 1977). "Tresvant Guily of Receiving Bribe". The Miami Herald.
  17. "Judge issues arrest order for former Opa-locka official". The Miami News. August 23, 1978. Former Opa-locka city commissioner Albert Tresvant Sr. failed to show up for sentencing on his bribery conviction today and Circuit Court Judge Wilkie Ferguson issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
  18. Buchanan, Jim (July 23, 1977). "Opa-locka Official Gets New Trial". The Miami Herald.
  19. Beatty, Robert (January 27, 2012). "Services Set For Virginia Tresvant of Opa-locka". South Florida Times.
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