David F. Gantt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David F. Gantt
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Gantt in 1959
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| Member of the New York Assembly | |
| In office January 1, 1983 – July 1, 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Dale Rath (133rd district) Christopher S. Friend (137th district) |
| Succeeded by | Bill Nojay (133rd district) Demond Meeks (137th district) |
| Constituency | 133rd district (1983–2012) 137th district (2013–2020) |
| Member of the Monroe County, New York Legislature from the 22nd district | |
| In office 1973 – December 21, 1982 |
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| Preceded by | Ronald Good |
| Succeeded by | Ron Thomas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 21, 1941 Opp, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | July 1, 2020 (aged 78) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 2 |
| Signature |  |
David F. Gantt Jr. (September 12, 1941 – July 1, 2020) was an American politician. He was a member of the New York Assembly from 1983 to 2020. He belonged to the Democratic Party. Before joining the Assembly, he served in the Monroe County, New York Legislature. David Gantt was the first Black person to represent Monroe County in the New York Assembly. He held this important position until Demond Meeks was elected in 2020.
Gantt was born in Alabama. His family moved to New York in the 1950s. He went to college for a few years but did not finish. In 1973, he was elected to the Monroe County Legislature. He served there until he was elected to the Assembly in 1982. During his time in the Assembly, he worked on many important committees. These included committees for aging, business, and transportation.
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Early Life and Education
David F. Gantt Jr. was born on September 12, 1941. His birthplace was Opp, Alabama. His parents were Lena Mae and David Gantt Sr. His father passed away when David was young. In the 1950s, his family moved to New York. They moved because New York had better social services.
In 1960, David graduated from Franklin High School. He then attended Roberts Wesleyan College for two years. He had a partial scholarship for basketball. However, he had to leave college early. This was due to his family's financial situation. He also attended Rochester Institute of Technology for a short time.
After college, he worked at a printing company called Case-Hoyt Corp. He also worked as a manager at the Anthony Jordan Health Center. In 1960, he volunteered for John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign. In 1965, he helped Ronald Good win his campaign. Good was running for the Monroe County Legislature.
Political Career
David Gantt had a long and successful career in politics. He served in two different legislative bodies.
Monroe County Legislature
David Gantt started his political career in the Monroe County Legislature. This is a local government group.
Becoming a Legislator
In 1973, Gantt ran for a seat in the Monroe County Legislature. He wanted to represent the 22nd district. He won against Leonard M. Lofton. He was re-elected to this position several times. He won elections in 1975, 1977, and 1979.
In 1979, he faced a challenge from Joseph Flores. Flores was also a Democrat. But Gantt won the primary election. Then he defeated Flores again in the main election. In 1981, he won another primary election. He was one of the few Democratic leaders to win that year. He then defeated Willie C. Anderson in the general election.
Key Roles in the Legislature
In 1977, the Democratic members tried to get Gantt on the Ways and Means Committee. This committee handles money matters. However, the Republican members chose someone else. After the 1977 elections, Democrats gained more power. Gantt and Michael Ormsby were chosen as assistant majority leaders. This was an important leadership role.
In 1980, Gantt was also elected to the New York State Democratic Committee. This is a state-level political group.
New York Assembly
David Gantt then moved on to serve in the New York Assembly. This is part of the state government.
Assembly Elections
On July 15, 1982, Gantt announced he would run for the New York Assembly. He wanted to represent the 133rd district. He won the Democratic primary election. Then he won the general election. He defeated candidates from other parties. Gantt became the first Black person to represent Monroe County in the Assembly. He was re-elected many times. He won elections in 1984, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2006. He even won without opposition in 1994, 2004, 2008, and 2010.
Later, his district changed to the 137th district. He continued to win elections there. He was re-elected in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018. In June 2020, Gantt announced he would not run for re-election. He supported Ernest Flagler-Mitchell to take his place. However, Demond Meeks won the election.
Assembly Work and Leadership
During his time in the Assembly, Gantt worked on many committees. From 1983 to 1985, he served on the Aging, Commerce, and Election Laws committees. From 1993 to 1995, he was on the Ways and Means and Steering committees.
He also supported different presidential candidates. In 1984, he supported Walter Mondale. In 1988, he supported Jesse Jackson. In 2004, he endorsed John Kerry. Gantt said Kerry was "an American war hero." In 2008 and 2016, he supported Hillary Clinton. In 2012, he supported President Barack Obama. He even attended Obama's second inauguration.
In 1989, he became the chairman of a state commission. This group focused on developing rural areas. In 1990, he helped lead a task force. This group worked on redrawing district lines after the 1990 Census. In 1994, he became the chairman of the Transportation committee. This was a very important role. In 1991, he became the most senior member of Monroe County's delegation. This happened after Roger J. Robach passed away.
Death
David F. Gantt passed away on July 1, 2020. He died from kidney failure. Many important leaders praised him after his death. These included Governor Andrew Cuomo and Attorney General Letitia James. They remembered his long service and dedication.
Political Beliefs and Actions
David Gantt worked on many important issues during his career.
Civil and Human Rights
Gantt supported laws that protected people's rights. In 1994, he voted for a law that would stop discrimination. This law would make it illegal to treat people unfairly based on their sexual orientation. This applied to jobs, schools, and housing. The Assembly also voted to protect people with disabilities.
In 1999, he voted for a change to the state's constitution. This change would require equal pay for men and women. In 2001, he helped support a resolution. This resolution asked President George W. Bush to pardon 50 Black sailors. These sailors were convicted after the Port Chicago disaster.
Community Development
Gantt also worked on projects to improve his community. In 1993, he suggested spending $10 million to fix up Silver Stadium. This was a baseball stadium. He wanted Monroe County to own it. After the stadium was torn down, he proposed building a new one. This new stadium would cost $44 million.
In 2004, a documentary called July '64 was released. It was about the 1964 Rochester race riot. David Gantt had experienced this riot himself. The New York state legislature helped fund the documentary. This was thanks to Gantt's support.
Economic Issues
Gantt worked on economic issues important to families. In 1983, he voted to raise the minimum wage for farm workers. He also voted to raise New York's minimum wage several times. He supported increases in 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2002. These increases helped workers earn more money.
In 1992, he was against a sales tax increase. However, he later supported a smaller sales tax increase.
