Coy Payne (May 22, 1929 – December 8, 2019)[1] was an American politician who served as the first African-American mayor of Chandler, Arizona. He previously served on the Chandler City Council from 1983 to 1990.
Coy Payne | |
|---|---|
 Coy Payne | |
| Mayor of Chandler | |
| In office 1990–1994 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Dugan |
| Succeeded by | Jay Tibshraeny |
| Chandler City Council | |
| In office 1983–1990 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 22, 1929 Sulphur Springs, Texas |
| Died | December 8, 2019 (age 90) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | B.A. Arizona State University |
Biography
editPayne was born in Sulphur Springs, Texas, one of nine children born to Scott and Virgie Payne.[2] His family moved to Eloy, Arizona in the early 1940s where he picked cotton as a youth so his family could purchase a car.[2] The family moved north to Chandler where there were no schools for Black students and he was forced to attend school in Mesa, Arizona.[2] He was refused admission to the local high school and had to attend all-black Carver High School in Phoenix, Arizona.[2][3] He briefly attended Arizona State University before dropping out and enlisting in the U.S. Army where he saw combat in the Korean War.[2] He finished his education at ASU after leaving the army and took a job in Chandler as a third-grade teacher; he retired in 1989.[2]
In 1983, he was elected the first African-American to the Chandler City Council.[2] In 1990, he defeated city council member Jane DuComb by a margin of 2:1 to become mayor of Chandler, the first African-American elected mayor of any city in Arizona despite Chandler being only 3% African-American at the time.[2] His predecessor was Richard Dugan.[4] While mayor, he presided over the rapid growth of the city which grew 96 percent between 1990 and 2000,[2] helped create the city's housing authority, and oversaw the expansion of parks and recreation programs.[5]
Personal life
editHe was married to Willie Woods, an accountant and civil rights activist; they had six children.[2] He died on December 8, 2019.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Coy Payne - Born: May 22, 1929, Sulphur Springs, Texas - Died: December 8, 2019". basearizona.org. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Reagan, Kevin (December 11, 2019). "Chandler's first African-American mayor dies at 90". East Valley Tribune.
- ^ Johnson, Weldon B. (February 5, 2020). "AZ's only high school for black students is now a Phoenix museum that tells their stories". The Arizona Republic (via USA Today). Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ "Mayors 1912 - Present". Chandler Museum. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ Pineda, Paulina (December 9, 2019). "Arizona's first African American mayor, former Chandler Mayor Coy Payne, has died". Arizona Republic.