Dennis Archer

Dennis Wayne Archer (born January 1, 1942) is an American lawyer, jurist and former politician from Michigan. A Democrat, Archer served as Justice on the Michigan Supreme Court and as mayor of Detroit. He later served as president of the American Bar Association, becoming the first black president of the organization, which, until 1943, had barred African-American lawyers from membership. Early life and education Dennis Archer was born on January 1, 1942, to a working-class family living on the east side of Detroit.  His family struggled financially because Archer's father lost his arm in an automobile accident. There were few employment opportunities for disabled people in the city, so the family relocated to rural Cassopolis when Archer was five years old. Archer began working to help provide for his family at just eight years old. He worked as a golf-caddy, pinsetter at a bowling alley, and janitor at a bakery. After graduating high school, Archer financed his college education by painting homes, working at a drug store and becoming the first African-American to work in the Henry Ford Hospital medical records department. Archer began his college education at Wayne State University with the intention of becoming a pharmacist. He later transferred to the Detroit Institute of Technology and then to Western Michigan University. At Western Michigan University, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in education. He initially had planned to be a history teacher but later transferred to being a special education teacher at Ralph Bunche Elementary School, located just east of downtown Detroit. From 1965 to 1970, Archer taught disabled children in Detroit Public Schools. He then went on to earn his J.D. from the Detroit College of Law, now the College of Law of Michigan State University, in 1970.