Marc Morial
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Marc Haydel Morial (born 1958) is an African-American political and civic leader and former mayor of New Orleans.
A practicing attorney (earning a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in 1983 from Georgetown University after receiving a bachelor's degree in economics at the University of Pennsylvania three years earlier). Morial — the son of Ernest "Dutch" Morial, the first African-American ever to serve as Mayor of New Orleans — spent two years in the Louisiana state senate from 1992 to 1994, then followed in his father's footsteps by twice being elected mayor of New Orleans. The two terms ran from 1994 until 2002; in the last two of those years he was also President of the United States Conference of Mayors.
Crime plummeted and tourism boomed in New Orleans during Marc Morial's mayoralty, and the issue of endemic corruption in the city's Police Department was also successfully addressed. But the two most well-known accomplishments of his administration — at least to observers outside the immediate New Orleans area — both dealt with professional sports: He is widely credited with returning NBA basketball to the city by orchestrating negotiations that led to the league's Charlotte Hornets relocating there; and following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Morial persuaded the organizers of a large automotive exposition to change its date so that Super Bowl XXXVI (held at the Louisiana Superdome) could be played one week later than originally scheduled, enabling the NFL to keep its postseason tournament fully intact, as the week of regular-season games slated to be played on the weekend following the attacks had to be postponed and was transferred to the end of the regular season.
After leaving the office of mayor, Morial was named President and CEO of the National Urban League, a major African-American advocacy group. His tenure in these two positions began on May 15, 2003.
In 2005, Morial, his relatives and former associates became the focus of federal investigations into corruption during his administration. Morial's uncle Glenn Haydel was accused of defrauding the regional transit authority of a half-billion dollars in a fraudulent bond refinancing scheme. Haydel's wife, Lillian Smith Haydel pleaded guilty to a scheme involving the New Orleans public school system. Three other members of Morial's circle were accused of fraud, include a former city official accused of skimming hundreds of thousands of dollars in an energy-savings contract.
Morial is a prominent member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans. He is also a black Creole, who are descended from the French, the Spanish, Native Americans, and the Africans.
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Preceded by: Sidney Barthelemy |
Mayor of New Orleans 1994–2002 |
Succeeded by: Ray Nagin |
Preceded by: Hugh D. Price |
President of the National Urban League 2003–present |
Succeeded by: incumbent |