Franks, Gary

1954?

Politician and entrepreneur Gary Franks was the first African-American congressman elected from Connecticut. His father, who had not completed the sixth grade, was determined that his six children would become college graduates, and all did. A Connecticut native, Franks graduated from Yale University in 1975. In the late 1970s, after working as an industrial and labor relations executive in Fair-field County, Connecticut, he opened his own real estate business and became highly successful.

Franks entered local politics as alderman in Waterbury, where he served three terms. He ran unsuccessfully for state alderman in 1986. His earlier success, however, led him to run on the Republican ticket for the U.S. House of Representatives. He won the seat in November 1990, at a time when African-American representation in highly visible positions, such as mayors of major cities or in the U.S. Senate, was slight. Franks platform included advocacy of abortion rights, the death penalty for top drug dealers, and a constitutional amendment to prohibit burning the U.S. flag. Franks also favored cuts in the capital gains tax and opposed increases in federal income taxes.

His victory made him the nation's top-ranking elected black Republican, and he was highly touted by Republicans, who saw him as attractive enough to encourage more minorities to join the Republican Party.

After serving three terms in Congress, Franks was unsuccessful in his bid for reelection in 1996. He was a candidate for election to the U.S. Senate in 1998, but was defeated.

See also Congressional Black Caucus; Politics in the United States

Bibliography

Bigelow, Barbara Carlisle, ed. Contemporary Black Biography, vol. 2. Detroit, Mich.: Gale, 1992.

"Connecticut Salon a Favorite among 3 Blacks Seeking GOP Seats in U.S. House." Jet. September 24, 1990, 16.

Franks, Gary. Searching for the Promised Land. New York: ReganBooks, 1996.

McCoy, Frank. "Freshmen on the Hill." Black Enterprise. April 1991, 25.

raymond winbush (2001)