Mickey Michaux facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Henry M. "Mickey" Michaux
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| Member of the North Carolina Senate from the 20th district |
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| In office January 13, 2020 – March 31, 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Floyd McKissick, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Natalie Murdock |
| Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 31st district |
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| In office 2003–2019 |
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| Preceded by | Richard T. Morgan |
| Succeeded by | Zack Forde-Hawkins |
| Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 23rd district |
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| In office 1985–2003 |
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| Preceded by | George W. Miller Jr. W. Paul Pulley, Jr. Kenneth B. Spaulding |
| Succeeded by | Joe P. Tolson |
| United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina | |
| In office 1977–1980 |
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| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Benjamin H. White, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth W. McAllister |
| Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 16th district |
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| In office 1973 – July 18, 1977 |
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| Preceded by | Bobby W. Rogers James D. Speed |
| Succeeded by | A. J. Howard Clement, III |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Henry McKinley Michaux
September 4, 1930 Durham, North Carolina |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | June Michaux |
| Residence | Durham, North Carolina |
| Alma mater | North Carolina Central University (BS, JD) |
| Profession | Attorney, real estate, insurance |
Henry McKinley "Mickey" Michaux Jr. (born September 4, 1930) is an important American leader and civil rights activist. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He has served in the North Carolina General Assembly for many years.
He represented the state's 31st House district from 1983 to 2019. Before that, he served from 1973 to 1977. His district included people living in Durham County. When he retired, Michaux was the person who had served the longest in the North Carolina General Assembly. In 2007-2008, he was a main leader for the House Appropriations Committee. He also led the House Select Committee on Street Gang Prevention.
In 2020, when he was 89 years old, Michaux was chosen to temporarily fill a seat in the North Carolina Senate. This happened after Senator Floyd McKissick, Jr. resigned.
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Personal Life of Henry Michaux
Henry M. Michaux Jr. was born on September 4, 1930. His parents were Henry M. Michaux and Isadore M. Coates. He was born in Durham, North Carolina, United States.
Representative Michaux and his wife, June, have two children. Their names are Jocelyn and Cicero. He and his wife currently live in Durham, North Carolina.
Michaux's Education Journey
In 1948, Michaux attended the Palmer Memorial Institute in Sedalia, North Carolina. He then went to North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina. There, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology in 1952. He also received his Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) degree in 1964.
Representative Michaux also studied more at other universities. He did graduate work in physiology and biochemistry at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He also studied Business Administration and Economics at North Carolina Central University. He has an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from North Carolina Central University as well.
Michaux's Career and Public Service
Michaux is a lawyer and a businessman. He grew up in Durham, North Carolina, and went to North Carolina Central University. He served in the United States Army Medical Corps from 1952 to 1954. He was also in the Army Reserves from 1954 until 1960.
In the 1950s, Michaux became involved in the civil rights movement. He became good friends with Martin Luther King Jr.. After working as an assistant district attorney, he was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1972. He decided to go into politics because King suggested it.
In 1977, Michaux became the first black United States Attorney in the South since the Reconstruction period. He was chosen to lead the office in the Middle District of North Carolina. After this, Michaux left the House of Representatives on July 18, 1977.
He left the attorney's office when Jimmy Carter was no longer president. In 1982, Michaux ran for Congress. He returned to the state legislature in 1983.
He is still a practicing lawyer today. He is a partner at Michaux and Michaux Practicing Attorneys, which started in 1970. Michaux has also been the Vice President of Union Insurance and Realty Company since 1955.
Understanding Runoff Elections
In 1982, Michaux received the most votes in the first round of the Democratic primary election for Congress. However, he did not get more than 50 percent of the votes. This meant he had to go into a second election, called a runoff, against Tim Valentine. Valentine won the runoff election. After this, Michaux went back to the state legislature.
There, he worked to remove primary runoffs. Eventually, the law was changed. It lowered the percentage needed to win without a runoff to 40 percent. If that law had been in place in 1982, Michaux would have won the general election. He would have been the first African-American elected to Congress from North Carolina in the 20th century.
In 1992, Michaux lost the Democratic primary in the new 12th congressional district to Mel Watt.
Awards and Recognitions
Representative Michaux was honored by being inducted into the Black College Alumni Hall of Fame in 2011. His hard work has also been recognized by North Carolina Central University. In 2007, they renamed their School of Education in his honor.
Michaux has served three times as the National President of the NCCU Alumni Association. He has also been a member of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors of the NCCU Foundation, Inc.
In November 2022, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper gave Michaux the North Carolina Award. This is the highest honor a civilian can receive from the state. He received it for his many years of public service.
Professional Memberships
Michaux is a member of several important legal groups. These include the National Bar Association, the North Carolina Bar Association, and the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers.
When he was studying at North Carolina Central University, Michaux was part of the Lampodas Club. This was a club of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. He served as the treasurer of this club in 1949.
