CHRC Salutes the Late Honorable William L. Mallory, Sr.

On 12/10/13, the world lost a true visionary & historian who had a heart of gold. Mr. William L. Mallory, Sr.  worked tirelessly to help improve the greater human condition.  At the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission (CHRC), we thank him for his service, leadership and friendship.  We also thank him for working tirelessly with others to create the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission which replaced the Mayor's Friendly Relations Committee.  

 

At the 2013 CHRC Annual Luncheon, the agency awarded him with the 2013 Bishop Herbert Thompson Award. Below is a small glimpse into the life of a wonderful man.

 

Mr. William L. Mallory, Sr. was a native of Cincinnati's West End.  Mr. William L. Mallory was born in 1931. As the son of a casual laborer and a domestic, his desire to be successful and his interest in politics propelled him to the Ohio House of Representatives and to years of service to the community.

 

His interest in politics began at an early age. At the age of 12, he was reading newspapers incessantly. This interest was stimulated by political discussions with Dr. R. P. McClain, the second black city councilman in Cincinnati history. His first elected positions were as secretary of student government in high school and as president of the Ninth Street Hi Y Club of the YMCA. 

 

In 1951, he graduated from East Vocational High School and entered Central State University. He worked his way through college by painting dormitories and working in the cafeteria, and graduated with honors with a major in elementary education. While in college he met his wife, Fannie. They married in 1955 and have six children.

 

Following his graduation from Central State, he worked as a unit leader for the juvenile court, as a case worker for the Hamilton County Welfare Department and as a highway inspector. He also taught elementary school for eight years in the Cincinnati Public Schools. Underlying all his activities, however, was his continued interest in politics and the community, and in 1965, he was elected president of the West End Community Council.

 

In 1966, he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives. Eight years later, he was elected Majority Floor Leader, the first African-American to hold that position. He retired in 1994 holding the record of being the longest serving majority leader in Ohio's history and the longest serving Ohio representative from Hamilton County.

 

During his service in the General Assembly, he sponsored or co-sponsored over 600 pieces of legislation. Highlights include legislation creating the first state-wide drug prevention program, the Urban Minority Alcohol Drug Outreach Program. His legislation also helped to finance the Riverfront Stadium and Fountain Square South in Cincinnati and created the home furlough program for non-violent prisoners upon their release from prison.

 

In 1986, he filed a lawsuit charging discrimination in the election of judges on a countywide basis. As a result, 14 judicial districts were established, making it easier for African-American candidates to win seats in the Hamilton County Municipal Court.   

 

In Cincinnati, he played a major role in the creation of a publicly owned transit system (Metro) by serving as co-chairman of the Citizen's Transportation Committee. Later during a 36 day bus strike, he and his wife organized a carpool to transport workers and students in the West End to their jobs and schools throughout the city. He also worked to create the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission which replaced the Mayor's Friendly Relations Committee. He was influential in locating the Queen City Vocational School in the West End and for creating the first community housing development corporation which built Uptown Towers. On the national level, he was appointed to the National Highway Safety Advisory Committee by President Carter and to the Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee by President Clinton.   

 

He has won many awards for his support of education, seniors, public   transportation, mental health and American Civil Liberties issues. A few of his awards include the City Manager's award, the National Conference of State Legislatures Award, the Triumph Award from the Emanuel Community Center and the MLK Dream Keeper award.  Additional honors include: WCIN’s 50 most influential African Americans in the last 50 years, Depart. of Aging honors for his work establishing the Commission on Aging and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s Great Living Cincinnatian. His alma mater, Central State University, awarded him an honorary doctorate of laws in 1972, the first one given to an alumnus. The university has also inducted him into its hall of fame and has named a street in his honor.  

 

He has been co-chairman of the Hamilton County Democratic Party, president of the Black Elected Democrats of Ohio and was also appointed by Ohio Governor Bob Taft to the Ohio Elections Commission, for a 5 year term beginning March 2003. Continuing his strong interest in education, Mallory taught as an adjunct professor of Political Science and African American Studies at the University of Cincinnati from 1969 to 1994.  

 

Mr. William L. Mallory Sr. has been engaged in numerous causes. He founded the Mallory Center for Community Development as well as the African American Historical Ball, an annual event honoring great African Americans.

 

Courtesy of the Guide to 20th Century African American Resources (The Historical Society Library)