Kenneth Reeves facts for kids

Kenneth E. Reeves (born 1951) is an American politician. He served as the mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was mayor from 1992 to 1995 and again from 2006 to 2007. Reeves made history as the first African-American mayor in the United States who is openly gay.

Kenneth Reeves' Early Life

Kenneth Reeves was born in 1951 in Detroit, Michigan. His parents were from Jamaica. He went to public schools in Detroit. He graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1968.

After one year at Trinity College, Reeves moved to Harvard University. He studied American history and literature at Harvard. He earned his degree in 1973. In 1976, he graduated from the University of Michigan Law School.

Kenneth Reeves' Political Career

Serving Cambridge as Mayor

Reeves became the Mayor of Cambridge in January 1994. In Cambridge, elections are non-partisan. This means candidates do not run as members of a specific political party. However, Reeves identifies with the Democratic Party.

As mayor, he joined the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition. This group was started in 2006. It was led by mayors Michael Bloomberg of New York City and Thomas Menino of Boston.

In 2008, E. Denise Simmons became the mayor after Reeves. She was the first African-American mayor in the United States who is openly lesbian.

State Politics and Endorsements

Kenneth Reeves also played a role in state politics. In the 2006 Massachusetts election, he supported Deval Patrick for governor. Patrick was a longtime friend of Reeves.

Reeves also supported Tim Murray in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor. Later, in 2014, Reeves supported Leland Cheung. Cheung was also from Cambridge and ran for Lieutenant Governor.

See Also

• List of first African-American mayors
• List of the first LGBT holders of political offices
• List of mayors and city managers of Cambridge, Massachusetts