Emmanuel Onunwor

Emmanuel Onunwor (born May 24, 1952, as Emmanuel Onunwa) is a Nigeria-born American who served as the mayor of East Cleveland, Ohio.

Emmanuel Onunwor
Mayor of East Cleveland, Ohio
In office
January 1, 1998 – September 1, 2004
Preceded byWallace D. Davis
Succeeded bySaratha Goggins
Personal details
Born (1952-05-24) May 24, 1952
Port Harcourt, British Nigeria
NationalityAmerican
SpouseDiane Onunwor
EducationB.A. and M.A. Cleveland State University

Biography

Onunwor was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria where he attended primary and secondary schools.[1] In 1980, he immigrated to the United States where he earned a B.A. and M.A. in urban studies at Cleveland State University.[1]

In the November 1997 general election, running as a non-partisan, he defeated incumbent mayor Wallace D. Davis with 62.56% of the vote.[1] He was sworn in on January 1, 1998[1] becoming the first African-born Black mayor in the United States.[2] In the November 2001 general election, running as a Republican, he was re-elected with 71.19% of the vote defeating Democrat Eric J. Brewer (who would later win election as mayor in 2005).[1] After being convicted for racketeering, extortion, mail fraud, and tax evasion,[3] he resigned on September 1, 2004.[1] He was succeeded by the East Cleveland City Council President, Democrat Saratha Goggins, the first female mayor of East Cleveland.[1][4]

In September 2005, he was sentenced by U.S. District Court judge James S. Gwin to nine years in prison.[5][6] At sentencing, Onunwor stated: "I apologize to my family, my friends and the citizens...I did wrong. I deserve to be punished.[6]

Personal life

In 2009, his son, Clifton Onunwor, was sentenced to life in prison for killing his mother, Diane Onunwor.[7]

References
  1. "Emmanuel Onunwor". ourcampaigns.com. November 9, 2019.
  2. "FBI Executes Search Warrant at East Cleveland City Hall". The Times-Reporter. December 4, 2003. He became the first black, African-born mayor in the United States when he was elected in 1997, according to the Atlanta-based National Conference of Black Mayors
  3. Salvato, Albert (September 1, 2004). "Midwest: Ohio: Mayor Convicted Of Seeking Bribes". The New York Times.
  4. Caniglia, John; Ott, Thomas (September 1, 2004). "Onunwor, Still Jailed, To Quit As Mayor". The Plain Dealer.
  5. "News Release 2 September 2005 2". Archived from the original on 7 August 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
  6. Tobin, Mike (September 3, 2005). "Ex-mayor, co-felons sentenced in bribe case". The Plain Dealer.
  7. Tobin, Mike (August 21, 2009). "Clifton Onunwor sentenced to life for killing his mother". The Plain Dealer.
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