Preston Daniels facts for kids

Preston A. Daniels is an American politician. He made history as the first African-American mayor of Des Moines, Iowa.

Early Life and Learning

Preston Daniels served in the United States Army for four years. He became a sergeant, which is a leader in the army. After his military service, he went to Drake University. He earned two degrees there. One was in psychology, which is the study of how people think and feel. The other was in health science. Later, he started working at Employee and Family Resources (EFR) in Des Moines.

Public Service Career

Before becoming mayor, Preston Daniels was part of the Des Moines City Council. He served on the council from November 1991 until he was elected mayor.

Becoming Mayor

Daniels first became mayor in November 1997. This was after a special election. In November 1999, he was elected again for a full four-year term. While he was mayor, he also hosted a local radio show. He decided not to run for re-election after his term ended in January 2004. Frank Cownie became the next mayor after him.

After Being Mayor

After leaving his role as mayor, Daniels continued to work in public service. He became the Program Director and Diversity Consultant for Employee and Family Resource's Court and Community.

In 2009, the governor of Iowa, Chet Culver, appointed Daniels to a new role. He became the director of the Iowa Department of Human Rights. He served in this important position until 2011.