Charles c diggs biography of christopher

He excelled as an orator and debater. Upon receiving his degree, Diggs joined his father in the family mortuary business. Born in Detroit, Michigan, on December 2, ; son of a funeral homeowner. Died of a heart attackWashington, D. C, late s. Military service: Served in the U. Career: United States Representative. Elected to Michigan state senate, ; elected to U.

Congress from Michigan Thirteenth District, ; served in Congress, — 80; organized Congressional Black Caucus; chair, House District Committee, and helped create home rule for District of Columbia, — 78; chair, African Affairs Subcommittee, House Committee on Foreign Relations, s; convicted of payroll kickback charges, ; resigned from Congress, ; practicing mortician, Marylands — s.

Challenging a white Democratic incumbent in the primary election, Diggs won handily, and rarely faced serious opposition from then on. Board of Education school desegregation decision of He attended the Emmett Till murder trial in Mississippi as an observer, worked in the s to awaken the civil rights conscience of the national Democratic Partycalled for the desegregation of public transportation, and traveled to the flashpoint of Selma, Alabamain the s.

Diggs used his growing political influence to ensure the creation of a second black-majority district in Michigan in the Congressional redistricting that followed the national census.

Charles c diggs biography of christopher: Charles Diggs was born in Detroit,

In Diggs was a key player in organizing the Congressional Black Caucus, a bloc of black representatives and senators who work together to promote black interests. In recent years the organization has included nearly all of the African Americans serving in Congress at any given time. Diggs devoted much of his legislative energy to crafting measures to fight unemployment and poverty.

He supported the War on Poverty legislation as well as other measures to reduce joblessness among African Americans both in his state and across the nation. InDiggs became a founding member and the first chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. He used that position to criticize the policies of the Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford Presidential Administrations, which seemed, in his view, to encourage continued poverty and racial discrimination.

Inhe was convicted of mail fraud and of filing false payroll forms. While waiting to be sentenced, he won another election. This was to be short-lived as he was censured by Congress in and eventually resigned in Diggs served 14 months in jail. Mennen Williams, a friend of the labor movement. In and Diggs took night law courses at the Detroit School of Law.

He defeated incumbent George O'Brien in the Democratic primary and defeated a Republican challenger in the general election, becoming Michigan's first African-American congressman. Once in the House of RepresentativesDiggs pressed for civil rights legislation and enforcement. In he introduced the measure to establish a Civil Rights Commission.

Later, inhe became a founder of the Congressional Black Caucus. In the s Diggs backed successful measures to lower the voting age to eighteen and to aid minority businesses. In he was one of the organizers of the National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana, an unsuccessful attempt to unify African Americans politically and to form an alternative political party.

Diggs established himself on the House District of Columbia Committee, helping to win the district home rule.

Charles c diggs biography of christopher: elected to the House of

In he was named chair of the District Committee. Diggs also specialized in foreign affairs, particularly in Africa. A champion of foreign aidin he became the first African-American member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and he later served as chair of the Committee's Africa Subcommittee. Named by President Richard Nixon to the U. In Diggs, by then the senior black representative, was convicted of mail fraud and payroll kickbacks involving his office employees.

His constituents elected him to a thirteenth term, and he appealed his conviction. Under pressure, he resigned his committee chairmanships, and on July 31,the House formally censured Diggs, — 0, for his conduct.

Charles c diggs biography of christopher: Charles C. Diggs Jr., the Representative

InDiggs was appointed to the post of chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa of the Committee on Foreign Affairswhere he strongly advocated ending apartheid in South Africa. He was a committed publicist for the liberation cause in South Africaand his 'Action Manifesto' displayed his support for the armed struggle against apartheid. In it, Diggs criticized the United States government for decrying the use of such violence when it failed to condemn measures used by the South African government to subjugate the majority of its own people.

Diggs was a founding member and the first chairman of the Congressional Black Caucusa group of African-American representatives and senators working to address the needs and rights of black constituents. While chairman, Diggs successfully led a caucus boycott of President Nixon's State of the Union Address, following Nixon's refusal to meet to discuss issues relevant to African Americans.

In MarchDiggs was charged with taking kickbacks from staff whose salaries he raised. He was convicted on October 7,on 11 counts of mail fraud [ 11 ] and filing false payroll forms. Diggs insisted he had done nothing wrong, and was re-elected while awaiting sentencing. He was censured by the House on July 31,and resigned from Congress June 3, Contents move to sidebar hide.

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Charles c diggs biography of christopher: The first African American to

Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikisource Wikidata item. American politician — For his father, the Michigan politician, see Charles Diggs Sr. Anna Katherine Johnston. Early life [ edit ]. Political career [ edit ]. Personal life [ edit ]. See also [ edit ]. References [ edit ].

Oryx Pressp. Martin Luther King Jr. And the Global Struggle for Freedom. Retrieved December 4, The Washington Post. Retrieved May 3, The Atlantic. Retrieved