Curtis Graves
Curtis Graves | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 23-6 | |
| In office January 10, 1967 – January 9, 1973 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 26, 1938 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | July 26, 2023 (aged 84) Tucker, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Kay Bryant Joanne Graves (divorced) |
| Children | 3, including Gizelle Bryant |
| Alma mater | Texas Southern University (B.A.) Princeton University(M.S.) |
Curtis M. Graves (August 26, 1938 – July 26, 2023) was an American civil rights activist and politician in the state of Texas. He was one of the first African Americans to serve in the Texas House of Representatives since the Reconstruction.
Early life
[edit]Curtis Matthew Graves was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 26, 1938, to Fregelio Joseph Graves and Mable Haydel Graves. He grew up in a creole family, his father and uncle owned Butsy and Buddy's, the only black-owned Esso stations in Louisiana at the time.[1][2]
Graves attended Xavier University, before transferring to Texas Southern University, where he joined Kappa Alpha Psi and graduated in 1963 with a degree in business administration. Graves participated in sit-ins, marches, and helped found the Progressive Youth Association which played a major role in the desegregation of Houston.[3]
Career
[edit]Graves was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1967 to 1973 as a Democrat.[4] Along with Barbara Jordan and Joe Lockridge, he was one of three African-American members elected in 1966, the first ones since 1896.[5][6] Graves was a major force in the Civil Rights Movement during which he worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
A businessman, he was an alumnus of Texas Southern University and Princeton University. He also worked for NASA's academic affairs division and as Director for Civil Affairs. Graves was an artistic photographer.[7][8]
Personal life
[edit]Curtis Graves was married to Joanne Graves, with whom he had three children. One of his children is Gizelle Bryant, star of The Real Housewives of Potomac and former wife of megachurch pastor Jamal Bryant.
Graves was married to Kay Bryant and resided in Atlanta, Georgia.[9][3]
Curtis Graves died on July 26, 2023, at the age of 84.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ "You Are Invited Today: The Works of Curtis Graves Entitled "Louisiana Remembered: Visual Stories Linking Past to Present"". Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ^ "Curtis Graves in the 1940 Census | Ancestry®". Ancestry.com.
- ^ a b https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/tucker-ga/curtis-graves-11386916
- ^ "Texas Legislators: Past & Present – Mobile". Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ^ "Texas Politics – Race and Ethnicity in the Texas Legislature". Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ^ "AFRICAN AMERICANS AND POLITICS". Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ^ "All About Curtis".
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 30, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Who's who Among Black Americans. December 1985. ISBN 978-0-915130-96-2. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ^ "Curtis Graves, Famed Civil Rights Activist and Father of 'RHOP' Star Gizelle Bryant, Dead at 84". People. July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
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- 1938 births
- 2023 deaths
- Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives
- African-American politicians
- African-American people in Texas politics
- Louisiana Creole people
- People from New Orleans
- Activists from Houston
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- Photographers from Texas
- Politicians from New Orleans
- Princeton University alumni
- Texas Southern University alumni
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