Preston A. Daniels is an American politician who became the first African-American mayor of

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

Early life and education

Preston Daniels served four years in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

where he achieved the rank of sergeant. Daniels received his Bachelor of Science in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

and his Master of Science in health science, both from

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hi ...

, before he began his career at Employee and Family Resources (EFR) in Des Moines.

Career

Prior to becoming mayor, he served in the Des Moines City Council from November 1991 until his election as mayor. Daniels first became mayor upon his election in November 1997. In November 1999, he was elected to a four-year term. While serving as mayor, he hosted a local radio show. He did not seek another re-election and served out his term until January 2004. He was succeeded by

Frank Cownie Thomas Michael Franklin "Frank" Cownie (born 1948) is the current mayor of Des Moines, Iowa. He also owns and operates Cownie Furs, a store that has been in his family for generations. Cownie is a Des Moines native. He grew up on the city's we ...

. After leaving public office, he worked as the Program Director and Diversity Consultant for the Employee and Family Resource's Court and Community. Daniels was appointed the director of the Iowa Department of Human Rights by

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

governor

Chet Culver Chester John Culver (born January 25, 1966) is an American politician who served one term as the 41st governor of Iowa, from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he had previously served as the 29th secretary of state of Iowa from 199 ...

in 2009 and served in that position until 2011.

References

African-American mayors in Iowa African-American people in Iowa politics Living people Mayors of Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

Iowa Democrats Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians {{DesMoinesIA-stub