Andrew Degraffenreidt (3 March 1928 – 25 February 2009) was an educator and politician. He was notable as the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

commissioner in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

Education

DeGraffenreidt was born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

and reared in

Hollandale, Mississippi Hollandale is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,323 at the 2020 census. Deer Creek flows through Hollandale, and the Leroy Percy State Park is west of the city along Mississippi Highway 12. The Holla ...

. He died in South Florida on Feb. 25, 2009. He received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

and

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

from Tougaloo College, near

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

, and a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

degree in

Zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

from

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

in State College, Pennsylvania.

Teaching career

DeGraffenreidt began his teaching career as a biology teacher at

Dillard High School Dillard High School is a historic public middle and high school located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The school was established in 1907 as Colored School 11 and was later named for black-education advocate James H. Dillard. It is a part of Broward ...

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, and later moved to Everglades Middle School, where he was both a teacher and the chairman of the school's science department. Additionally, he was the teacher for several programs for the Broward County School's ITV Center, including a program that focused on the contributions of minorities to the development of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

City Commissioner

In 1973, Andrew DeGraffenreidt was elected as the first African American city commissioner of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was part of the commission which elevated Virginia S. Young to the position of mayor, the first woman to hold the post in the city, and the first female mayor of a large city in Florida. During his three terms in office, he worked to establish a Youth Advisory Board and improve city infrastructure. He also pushed for the hiring of more minorities in the city's police department. He played a key role in the opening of the Von D. Mizell Community Center in Fort Lauderdale's historically black Dorsey-Riverbend neighborhood. He was also the first African-American superintendent of Parks for the city. DeGraffenreidt also was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress in the crowded 1976 Democratic primary. He left the commission in 1979.

Post commission

The city of Fort Lauderdale named the DeGraffenreidt Activity Center in Bass Park in his honor. After leaving office, DeGraffenreidt continued to serve on the city's Parks, Recreation, and Beaches Advisory Board. He was active with the United Way, Northwest Boys Club Advisory Board, Broward County Charter Commission Municipal Government Task Force, and served as an adviser to the '' Miami Herald's'' "Newspapers in Education" program. He was the city of Fort Lauderdale's "Honored Founder" for the year of 2002. His son, Andrew DeGraffenreidt III, is an attorney who previously served as the city attorney for

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...

. His oldest daughter, Fredi Grace Mitchell, is a school guidance counselor in Atlanta, Georgia. His youngest daughter, Carol DeGraffenreidt, a former Assistant United States Attorney, is currently an Assistant Attorney General in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Sources

NIE profileFocus on Fort Lauderdale April.May 2002
(.pdf file)
Summer 2006 Fort Lauderdale Parks Guide
(.pdf file) {{DEFAULTSORT:DeGraffenreidt, Andrew Politicians from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Florida city council members African-American people in Florida politics 1928 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American politicians Politicians from Kansas City, Missouri Mayors of places in Florida People from Hollandale, Mississippi 20th-century African-American politicians African-American men in politics 21st-century African-American people