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{{Infobox Mayor | Douglas M. Wicks
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Douglas M. Wicks
| image=
| image =
| order=[[Mobile County, Alabama|Mobile County]] Commissioner, District 1
| order = [[Mobile County, Alabama|Mobile County]] Commissioner, District 1
| term_start=1980
| term_start = 1980
| term_end=1987
| term_end = 1987
| predecessor=[[unknown]]
| predecessor =
| successor=[[Sam Jones (mayor)|Sam Jones]]
| successor = [[Sam Jones (Alabama politician)|Sam Jones]]
| birth_date=
| birth_date =
| birth_place= [[Mobile, Alabama]]
| birth_place = [[Mobile, Alabama]]
| spouse=
| spouse =
| children= Douglas Wicks Jr.
| children =
| alma_mater= [[unknown]]
| alma_mater =
| religion= [[Roman Catholic]]
| party=[[Democratic]]
| party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
}}
}}


'''Douglas M. Wicks''' is a politician in [[Mobile County, Alabama]]. Elected to the Mobile County Commission in 1980, he was the first [[African American]] to hold that position since [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]]. In 1987 he was found guilty of four counts of extortion of persons doing business with the county, despite at least one person denying they were extorted; another being an [[FBI]] [[informant]] sent to coax Wicks into stating wrongdoing, and failing to do so; and a lack of physical evidence of money exchanging hands.<ref>{{cite news | first1=Jon | url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/04/jeff-sessions-legal-past-democrats-trump-administration | title='Gun for hire': how Jeff Sessions used his prosecuting power to target Democrats | work=The Guardian | date=2017-03-04 | accessdate=2017-03-04 | last2=Laughland | first2=Oliver | issn=0261-3077 | last1=Swaine}}</ref> The charges were filed by then [[United States Attorney|federal prosecutor]] [[Jeff Sessions]] just two days after having been denied [[United States federal judge|federal judgeship]], in part due to allegations by Wicks that Sessions had made racist comments towards him.<ref>{{cite news | first1=Jon | url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/22/jeff-sessions-racism-retaliation-donald-trump-douglas-wicks-thomas-figures | title=Jeff Sessions accused of retaliation after claims of racism cost him a judgeship | work=The Guardian | date=2016-11-22 | accessdate=2017-03-04 | last2=Laughland | first2=Oliver | issn=0261-3077 | last1=Swaine}}</ref> Wicks received a 15-year prison sentence but was released in 1992, having served five years of his sentence. He lost a comeback bid for his old seat in 2000 to Sam Jones, who later served eight years as Mobile's mayor. His successor, [[Sam Jones (mayor)|Sam Jones]], would go on to serve 18 years in office, and was elected as the first African American mayor of [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]] in 2005.
'''Douglas M. Wicks''' was the first African-American elected to the [[Mobile County, Alabama|Mobile County]] Commission since Reconstruction. He was elected in 1980. He would go on to be removed from office for ethics violations. His successor, [[Sam Jones (mayor)|Sam Jones]], would go on to serve 18 years in office, and was elected as the first African-American Mayor of [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]] in 2005. In 1974, Wicks was King of MAMGA, the African-American organization which elects a Mardi Gras King to preside over the city each year. His queen was future Secretary of Labor [[Alexis Herman]] <ref>http://www.mamga.com/id12.html</ref><ref>http://books.google.com/books?q=Douglas+Wicks+Mobile</ref>


Wicks was the 1974 "King of MAMGA", the African American organization which elects a Mardi Gras King to preside over the city each year. His queen was future Secretary of Labor [[Alexis Herman]].<ref>{{cite web | access-date=2019-09-25 | archive-date=2008-10-25 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081025060125/http://www.mamga.com/id12.html | url=http://www.mamga.com/id12.html | title=Kings & Queens | url-status=dead | website=mamga.com}}</ref>
{{start box}}
{{succession box|
title = King of Carnival, Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association|
before = [[Capt. Roosevelt J. Lewis]]|
after = [[Walter Beck LeFlore]]|
years = 1974
}}


== References ==
{{start box}}
{{succession box|
title = [[Mobile County, Alabama|Mobile County]] Commissioner, District 1|
before = [[unknown]]|
after = [[Sam Jones (mayor)|Sam Jones]]|
years = 1980 &ndash; 1987
}}


==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


[[Category:People from Mobile County, Alabama]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wicks, Douglas}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wicks, Douglas}}
[[Category:African-American people in Alabama politics]]
[[Category:County commissioners in Alabama]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American people]]

{{Alabama-mayor-stub}}

Latest revision as of 00:44, 13 December 2022

Douglas M. Wicks
Mobile County Commissioner, District 1
In office
1980–1987
Succeeded bySam Jones
Personal details
BornMobile, Alabama
Political partyDemocratic

Douglas M. Wicks is a politician in Mobile County, Alabama. Elected to the Mobile County Commission in 1980, he was the first African American to hold that position since Reconstruction. In 1987 he was found guilty of four counts of extortion of persons doing business with the county, despite at least one person denying they were extorted; another being an FBI informant sent to coax Wicks into stating wrongdoing, and failing to do so; and a lack of physical evidence of money exchanging hands.[1] The charges were filed by then federal prosecutor Jeff Sessions just two days after having been denied federal judgeship, in part due to allegations by Wicks that Sessions had made racist comments towards him.[2] Wicks received a 15-year prison sentence but was released in 1992, having served five years of his sentence. He lost a comeback bid for his old seat in 2000 to Sam Jones, who later served eight years as Mobile's mayor. His successor, Sam Jones, would go on to serve 18 years in office, and was elected as the first African American mayor of Mobile in 2005.

Wicks was the 1974 "King of MAMGA", the African American organization which elects a Mardi Gras King to preside over the city each year. His queen was future Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Swaine, Jon; Laughland, Oliver (2017-03-04). "'Gun for hire': how Jeff Sessions used his prosecuting power to target Democrats". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  2. ^ Swaine, Jon; Laughland, Oliver (2016-11-22). "Jeff Sessions accused of retaliation after claims of racism cost him a judgeship". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  3. ^ "Kings & Queens". mamga.com. Archived from the original on 2008-10-25. Retrieved 2019-09-25.