Ted Berry: Farewell to extraordinary man, towering figure

Theodore M. Berry overcame poverty and racism with a fierce determination and became Cincinnati’s first African-American mayor in 1973. Berry rose from the West End to local prominence as a lawyer/prosecutor, president of the Cincinnati NAACP, city council member and civil rights activist. Appointed by President Johnson , he went to Washington in 1965 as assistant director of the War on Poverty, in charge of the community action program. After returning in 1969, he was appointed to a council vacancy in 1971 and chosen as mayor by the Charterite-Democratic council majority. Berry was committed to advancing social causes and improving the lives of the poor and powerless, and he inspired others to join him. He served with quiet dignity and respect and was revered by people no matter their color or politics. When Berry died on Oct. 15, 2000. Mayor Charlie Luken summed up: “Few if any Cincinnatians have achieved his stature and meant more to the community than he did.” Berry was 94.