Carl Brewer (March 8, 1957June 12, 2020) was an American politician who served as the 100th mayor of

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

, and was the city's first elected black mayor. He was elected to the mayoralty in 2007 and reelected in 2011. He was a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

and ran for the party's gubernatorial nomination in 2018.

Early life and education

Carl Brewer was born on March 8, 1957, in Wichita, Kansas. In 1975, he graduated from North High School and briefly attended

Friends University Friends University is a private nondenominational Christian university in Wichita, Kansas. It was founded in 1898. The main building was originally built in 1886 for Garfield University but was donated in 1898 to the Religious Society of Friend ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice from Southern University. From 1977 to 1998, he served in the

Kansas Army National Guard The Kansas Army National Guard is a component of the Army National Guard and the Kansas National Guard. Kansas Army National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army. The same ranks and insignia are used and Nation ...

and retired as a captain. In 1980, Brewer married Cathy Brewer and the couple had four children.

Career

From 2001 to 2007, Brewer served in the Wichita city council from District 1. In 2004, he ran in a special election to replace state senator Rip Gooch, but was defeated by Donald Betts. In 2007, he was elected mayor of Wichita becoming the city's first elected black mayor, as A. Price Woodard Jr. was selected by the city council to serve as mayor for one term in 1970. On February 20, 2017, he announced that he would run for the Democratic nomination in Kansas'

gubernatorial election A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and selected Chris Morrow, the mayor of

Gardner, Kansas Gardner is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 23,287. It is located inside of the Kansas City metropolitan area. History Gardner was founded where the Santa Fe Trail and the ...

, to run for the lieutenant gubernatorial nomination. However, he was defeated by state senator

Laura Kelly Laura Jeanne Kelly (born January 24, 1950)"Laura Kelly,"
''Kansapedia,''

. Brewer served on Kelly's transition team after she defeated Republican nominee Kris Kobach in the general election. Kelly appointed him to serve on the Governor's Council on Tax Reform. In 2019, he and Robert G. Knight appeared in a commercial asking for Lyndy Wells to launch a write-in campaign for the 2019 Wichita mayoral election.

Death

On June 12, 2020, Brewer died in Wichita after a long struggle with an illness. Following his death, the Wichita city council had the city's flags flown at half-staff and Governor

Laura Kelly Laura Jeanne Kelly (born January 24, 1950)"Laura Kelly,"
''Kansapedia,''

said that "Carl truly embodied all of the best qualities of what it means to be a Kansan, and he will be dearly missed."

Personal life

Brewer was Catholic, and a member of Wichita's African American Catholic Council.

References

External links

Campaign websiteMayors Against Illegal Guns
at City of Wichita official page * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brewer, Carl 1957 births 2020 deaths African-American mayors in Kansas African-American people in Kansas politics Friends University alumni Kansas city council members Kansas Democrats Kansas National Guard personnel Mayors of Wichita, Kansas Southern University alumni African-American Catholics 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American politicians