Freman Hendrix facts for kids

Freman Hendrix (born October 12, 1950) is an American politician from the state of Michigan. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Hendrix served as a deputy mayor for former Detroit mayor Dennis Archer from 1997 to 2001. He ran for mayor of Detroit twice, but did not win. These elections were in 2005 against Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, and in the 2009 special election to replace Kilpatrick.

Freman Hendrix's Early Life and Career

Freman Hendrix was born in Inkster, Michigan. His father was a Black Army veteran, and his mother was from Austria. Hendrix graduated from Inkster High School. He later earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Eastern Michigan University in 1982. While there, he joined the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Hendrix also served in the U.S. Navy for four years.

After his time in the Navy, he worked for Wayne County executive Edward H. McNamara. In 1991, Hendrix was elected to serve a two-year term as assistant county executive for Wayne County. He also helped with Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in Michigan. Later, he managed Dennis Archer's successful campaign for mayor in 1994. Hendrix then worked as Archer's chief of staff from 1994 to 1997. He became deputy mayor of Detroit during Archer's second term. In 1999, Mayor Archer also made Hendrix the chairman of the Detroit School Board. In 2000, he was one of the 18 people chosen to cast Michigan's votes for Al Gore in the presidential election.

Running for Mayor in 2005

In 2005, Freman Hendrix ran for mayor of Detroit. Major newspapers in the city, like the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press, supported him. Hendrix won the primary election on August 2 by a good amount, with the current Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick coming in second.

However, during the main election campaign, Mayor Kilpatrick ran commercials that talked about Hendrix's support for the state taking over the Detroit Public Schools. This caused Hendrix to lose support in the Detroit community. He eventually lost to Kilpatrick in the election on November 8, 2005. Kilpatrick won with 53% of the votes, while Hendrix received 47%.

After the election, Hendrix became the chief operating officer for Strategic Staffing Solutions. In August 2006, he joined Eastern Michigan University. There, he worked as the chief government relations officer. His job was to make relationships stronger with lawmakers in Lansing (Michigan's capital) and Washington, D.C..

Running for Mayor Again in 2009

Freman Hendrix officially announced he would run for mayor of Detroit again on October 7, 2008. He shared his plans at an Eastern Michigan University Student Government meeting. He said he wanted to bring "honesty, transparency, and accountability" to the city. Other people who also ran for mayor included interim Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr., Sharon McPhail, Coleman Young II, Nicholas Hood III, and Dave Bing. In the primary election on February 24, 2009, Hendrix came in third. Dave Bing and Ken Cockrel Jr. received more votes. Dave Bing was later elected mayor.

On August 4, 2009, Hendrix received the most votes in the primary election for a position on the Charter Revision Commission. He received 11% of the votes. However, he resigned from this commission on September 14, 2010. He left to join the Board of Directors for the Greektown Casino Hotel.

Freman Hendrix's Election Results

• 2009 election for Charter Revision Commission (Detroit)
  • Freman Hendrix (D), 11%
  • Teola Pearl Hunter (D), 8%
  • Ken Coleman (D), 8%
  • Jenice Mitchell Ford (D), 7%
  • Reggie 'Reg' Davis (D), 6%
  • Rose Mary C. Robinson (D), 6%
  • Ken Harris (D), 6%
  • John Johnson (D), 6%
  • Cara J. Blount (D), 5%
• 2009 special election for mayor (Detroit) (primary election)
  • Dave Bing (D), 28.82%
  • Kenneth Cockrel, Jr (D), 27.00%
  • Freman Hendrix (D), 23.21%
  • Warren Evans (D), 10.06%
  • Coleman A. Young II (D), 4.10%
• 2005 race for mayor (Detroit)
  • Kwame Kilpatrick (D), 53%
  • Freman Hendrix (D), 47%
• 2005 race for mayor (Detroit) (primary election)
  • Freman Hendrix (D), 45%
  • Kwame Kilpatrick (D), 34%
  • Sharon McPhail (D), 12%
  • Hansen Clarke (D), 8%