Jim Graham

{{Short description|Scottish-born American politician (1945–2017)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Jim Graham

| image = Jimgraham2.jpg

| office = Member of the Council of the District of Columbia from Ward 1

| term_start = January 2, 1999

| term_end = January 2, 2015

| predecessor = Frank Smith

| successor = Brianne Nadeau

| birth_name = James McMillan Nielson Graham

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1945|8|26|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Wishaw, Scotland

| death_date = {{death date and age|2017|6|11|1945|8|26|mf=y}}

| death_place = Washington, D.C., U.S.

| nationality =

| other_names =

| alma_mater = Michigan State University
University of Michigan Law School
Georgetown University Law Center

| occupation =

| known_for =

}}

James McMillan Nielson Graham (August 26, 1945 – June 11, 2017) was a Scottish-born American politician and a member of the Council of the District of Columbia. As a Democrat he represented Ward 1 in Washington, D.C. from 1999 until 2015.

Life and education

Graham was born on August 26, 1945, in Wishaw, Scotland.{{cite web|title=Voters Guide 2006 Supplement |work=The Washington Informer |date=2006-09-24 |url=http://www.washingtoninformer.com/Voters%20Guide%20REVISED%2006.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625021251/http://www.washingtoninformer.com/Voters%20Guide%20REVISED%2006.pdf |archive-date=2008-06-25 }} Graham's parents, neither of whom had high school degrees, settled in Hyattsville, Maryland, after immigrating to the United States from Scotland.{{cite web|url=http://peoplesdistrict.com/councilmember-jim-graham-on-what-its-all-about|title=Councilmember Jim Graham on What it's All About « People's District|work=peoplesdistrict.com|access-date=23 March 2015}}

A graduate of Michigan State University where he was a student politician and vice president of the National Student Association, Graham received a J.D. degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a L.L.M. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Graham worked as a clerk for Chief Justice Earl Warren and held a staff attorney position with the U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs Committee (chaired by Senator Abe Ribicoff, D-Connecticut). Graham served as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center and George Washington University, as well as supervising instructor at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Graham was licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia and before the U.S. Supreme Court."Jim Graham." Carroll's State Directory. Carroll Publishing, 2009.Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale, 2009. [http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC galent.galegroup.com] Fee via Fairfax County Public Library, accessed 2009-06-04.Document Number: K2416014673.

Prior to taking a seat on the city council, Graham was executive director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic, a nonprofit organization providing services to people in Washington who have HIV and AIDS. Graham was a recovering alcoholic and came out as gay after leaving federal employment. He was the second openly gay elected official in D.C., after David Catania.

Gay community

In October 1979, Graham joined Whitman-Walker Clinic's board. He helped the clinic survive its initial funding crises and in April 1981 became president of the board. Within three years, he became the executive director, leading the clinic's response to AIDS for 15 years (1984–1999). Under his leadership the clinic became a leading HIV/AIDS institution, with more than 1,200 volunteers, 270 full-time employees, and satellite operations in Southeast Washington, Maryland and Virginia. When Graham left Whitman-Walker in January 1999, it had become one of the most comprehensive community based medical organizations responding to HIV/AIDS in the country.

In 1984, dismayed by the quality of legal support, Graham himself undertook the legal aid counseling of those with AIDS for 18 months: "I went to dying people to straighten out their legal affairs ... in addition to other duties. It carried me right into the trenches; it created the whole experience. I vividly remember going to the bedsides, the horrible circumstances. ... It was extremely emotional."{{cite web|url=http://www.rainbowhistory.org/graham.htm |title=Rainbowhistory.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720165440/http://www.rainbowhistory.org/graham.htm |archive-date=July 20, 2008 }} In an oral history for the Rainbow History Project, Graham commented, "We've had one of the greatest epidemics of all time and this was the history, the history of the community banding together and helping itself. It was a phenomenal story." He says of the time,

"It was the most difficult period that I've ever been through, there's no question."{{cite web | url=https://soundcloud.com/whitman-walker/jim-graham | title=40 Stories: Jim Graham, an Influential Leader }}

Public service

Graham was first elected in 1998 and won reelection in 2002, 2006, and 2010 but was defeated in his bid for a fifth term in the Democratic primary election on April 1, 2014, by a margin of 41 percent to 59 percent for challenger Brianne Nadeau.{{cite web|url=http://www.dcboee.org/election_info/election_results/2014/April-1-Primary-Election |title=DC Board of Elections and Ethics: Election Results |access-date=2014-04-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402101420/http://www.dcboee.org/election_info/election_results/2014/April-1-Primary-Election |archive-date=2014-04-02 }}

Graham served as chairman of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's board of directors twice—once in 2003 and again in 2009.

In 1999 and 2007, Graham donated a large collection of his personal and professional papers to the George Washington University. The collection is under the care of GWU's Special Collections Research Center, located in the Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library.[https://library.gwu.edu/ead/ms2013.xml Guide to the Jim Graham Papers, 1973-2006] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117143510/https://library.gwu.edu/ead/ms2013.xml |date=17 November 2016 }}, Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University

Committees

Graham served as a member of the following committees on the D.C. Council:

Committee on Human Services (Chair)
Committee of the Whole
Committee on Business, Consumer and Regulatory Affairs
Committee on Transportation and the Environment
Committee on Workforce and Community Affairs

Death

Graham died June 11, 2017, at George Washington University Hospital from complications related to an infection and from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).{{cite news |last=Chibbaro |first=Lou Jr. |date=June 15, 2017 |title=Jim Graham dead at 71 |work=Washington Blade |url=https://www.washingtonblade.com/2017/06/15/jim-graham-dead-71/}}

Organizations

D.C. AIDS Task Force (member since 1983)
AIDS Action Council (previous Board member)
National Lesbian and Gay Health Foundation (previous Board member)
Coalition for Consumers Health and Safety
Washington AIDS Partnership (previous Advisory Committee member)
Concerned Citizens on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Inc. (previous Advisory Board member)
National AIDS Network (previous Treasurer and Board member)
Rock Hard DC Strip Club {{cite web|title=Jim Graham's next act: A strip club|url=http://www.washingtonblade.com/2015/04/16/jim-grahams-next-act-a-strip-club/|website=Washington Blade|date=16 April 2015 }}

Criticism

In early 2005, Graham was accused (allegedly by Washington businessman Sinclair Skinner) of driving historically African-American businesses from the neighborhoods of Columbia Heights, Shaw, and the U Street corridor. The Washington City Paper reported on the accusation:

In early 2005, just as the Club U issue was heating up, posters portraying Graham as a reptile holding a pitchfork labeled "Grahamzilla" appeared on light poles and street signs around the ward. Another set of posters depicted Graham standing on a porch partying with young white men at the Graham "plantation." The latter included an illustration showing "Graham opponents" hanging from a gallows. The posters stretched the limits of political speech and disappeared quickly after they were put up.Jones, James. "[http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/lips/2005/lips1202.html The Graham Crusade] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060620045606/http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/lips/2005/lips1202.html |date=2006-06-20 }}". Washington City Paper. 2005-12-02.

On September 24, 2009, Graham's Chief of Staff, Ted Loza, was arrested by the FBI and charged with two counts of accepting bribes.{{cite news|last=Washington |first=The |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/24/dc-council-member-jim-graham-chief-staff-arrested/ |title=Washingtontimes.com |publisher=Washingtontimes.com |date=2009-09-24 |access-date=2013-12-05}} The indictment alleges that Loza accepted two payments and promised to promote the legislation and policies concerning D.C. taxi cabs that the alleged briber wanted. Graham was the chairman of the committee that oversees taxi cab regulation, but voluntarily gave up oversight of cabs after Loza's arrest.

The District of Columbia Board of Ethics and Government Accountability found substantial evidence that Graham asked a developer to withdraw its bid for a real estate project so that another firm, who had donated to Graham, could win the bid.{{cite news |title=Jim Graham is scolded but not penalized in ethics probe |first=Mike |last=DeBonis |date=February 7, 2013 |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/mike-debonis/wp/2013/02/07/jim-graham-is-scolded-but-not-penalized-in-ethics-probe/ }} In exchange, Graham offered to support the firm's bid for a lottery contract, violating the District employees code of conduct. The District Council also reprimanded Graham for his inappropriate actions.{{cite news |title=D.C. Council reprimands Jim Graham in lottery contract flap |first=Tim |last=Craig |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 23, 2013 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-council-reprimands-jim-graham-in-lottery-contract-flap/2013/02/25/75242f96-7f60-11e2-b99e-6baf4ebe42df_story.html }} Graham described his actions as political horsetrading rather than anything illegal or unethical.{{cite news |title=Jim Graham Fights Back Against Reprimand From D.C. Council |first=Patrick |last=Madden |date=February 22, 2013 |publisher=WAMU |url=http://wamu.org/news/13/02/22/jim_graham_fights_back_against_reprimand_from_dc_council}}

Election results

=1998=

{{Election box begin no change

| title = 1998 Democratic Primary, Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 1{{cite web |title=1998 Primary Election Certified Results |work=District of Columbia Board of Elections |date=September 25, 1998 |url=https://www.dcboee.org/election_info/election_results/elec_1998/primary_election.asp |access-date=November 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129082043/https://www.dcboee.org/election_info/election_results/elec_1998/primary_election.asp |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |url-status=dead }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Jim Graham

|votes = 4,894

|percentage = 49

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Frank Smith

|votes = 3,219

|percentage = 32

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Todd Mosley

|votes = 1,458

|percentage = 14

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Lenwood Orlando "Lenny" Johnson

|votes = 232

|percentage = 2

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Baruti "BJ" Jahi

|votes = 224

|percentage = 2

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Write-In

|votes = 58

|percentage = 1

}}

{{Election box begin no change

| title = 1998 General Election, Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 1{{cite web |title=1998 General Election Certified Results |publisher=District of Columbia Board of Elections |date=November 13, 1998 |url=https://www.dcboee.org/election_info/election_results/elec_1998/general_election.asp |access-date=November 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117020512/https://www.dcboee.org/election_info/election_results/elec_1998/general_election.asp |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |url-status=dead }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Jim Graham

|votes = 10,953

|percentage = 72

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Umoja Party

|candidate = Nik Earnes

|votes = 1,927

|percentage = 13

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Green Party (United States)

|candidate = Scott McLarty

|votes = 1,260

|percentage = 8

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Mark Leventhal

|votes = 868

|percentage = 6

}}

{{Election box candidate no change

|party =

|candidate = Write-In

|votes = 125

|percentage = 1

}}

=2002=

{{Election box begin no change

| title = 2002 Democratic Primary, Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 1{{cite web |title=2002 Primary Election Certified Results |publisher=District of Columbia Board of Elections |date=September 20, 2002 |url=https://www.dcboee.org/pdf_files/ey2006_primary_summary.pdf |access-date=November 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303175654/http://www.dcboee.org/pdf_files/ey2006_primary_summary.pdf |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=dead }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Jim Graham

|votes = 6,064

|percentage = 64

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Shelore Williams

|votes = 1,586

|percentage = 17

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Dee Hunter

|votes = 1,157

|percentage = 12

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Hector Rodriguez

|votes = 436

|percentage = 5

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Tony De Pass

|votes = 130

|percentage = 1

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Write-In

|votes = 47

|percentage = 0

}}

{{Election box begin no change

| title = 2002 General Election, Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 1{{cite web |title=2002 General Election Certified Results |publisher=District of Columbia Board of Elections |date=November 21, 2002 |url=https://www.dcboee.org/election_info/election_results/elec_2002/htmldocs/candidate.asp |access-date=November 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129081504/https://www.dcboee.org/election_info/election_results/elec_2002/htmldocs/candidate.asp |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |url-status=dead }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Jim Graham

|votes = 11,258

|percentage = 85

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = D.C. Statehood Green Party

|candidate = Edward Chico Troy

|votes = 1,910

|percentage = 14

}}

{{Election box candidate no change

|party =

|candidate = Write-In

|votes = 129

|percentage = 1

}}

=2006=

{{Election box begin no change

| title = 2006 Democratic Primary, Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 1{{cite web |title=2010 Primary Election Certified Results |publisher=District of Columbia Board of Elections |date=September 26, 2006 |url=https://www.dcboee.org/pdf_files/ey2006_primary_summary.pdf |access-date=November 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303175654/http://www.dcboee.org/pdf_files/ey2006_primary_summary.pdf |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=dead }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Jim Graham

|votes = 9,028

|percentage = 86

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Chad Williams

|votes = 1,361

|percentage = 13

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Write-In

|votes = 70

|percentage = 1

}}

{{Election box begin no change

| title = 2006 General Election, Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 1{{cite web |title=2006 General Election Certified Results |work=District of Columbia Board of Elections |date=November 21, 2006 |url=https://www.dcboee.org/pdf_files/Summary_General_2006.pdf |access-date=November 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923213045/http://www.dcboee.org/pdf_files/Summary_General_2006.pdf |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |url-status=dead }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Jim Graham

|votes = 11,489

|percentage = 97

}}

{{Election box candidate no change

|party =

|candidate = Write-In

|votes = 326

|percentage = 3

}}

=2010=

{{Election box begin no change

| title = 2010 Democratic Primary, Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 1{{cite web |title=2010 Primary Election Certified Results |publisher=District of Columbia Board of Elections |date=September 29, 2010 |url=https://www.dcboee.org/election_info/election_results/results_2010.asp?electionid=4&rtype=w&prev=0&result_type=3}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Jim Graham

|votes = 8,381

|percentage = 57

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Jeff Smith

|votes = 3,159

|percentage = 21

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Bryan Weaver

|votes = 3,155

|percentage = 21

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Write-In

|votes = 39

|percentage = 0

}}

{{Election box begin no change

| title = 2010 General Election, Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 1{{cite web |title=2010 General Election Certified Results |publisher=District of Columbia Board of Elections |date=November 19, 2010 |url=https://www.dcboee.org/election_info/election_results/general_election_results/2010 |access-date=November 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123024236/https://www.dcboee.org/election_info/election_results/general_election_results/2010 |archive-date=November 23, 2015 |url-status=dead }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Jim Graham

|votes = 11,946

|percentage = 81

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = D.C. Statehood Green Party

|candidate = Nancy Shia

|votes = 1,376

|percentage = 9

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Marc Morgan

|votes = 1,137

|percentage = 8

}}

{{Election box candidate no change

|party =

|candidate = Write-In

|votes = 233

|percentage = 2

}}

=2014=

{{Election box begin no change

| title = 2014 Democratic Primary, Council of the District of Columbia, Ward 1{{cite web |title=2014 Primary Election Certified Results |publisher=District of Columbia Board of Elections |date=April 23, 2014 |url=https://www.dcboee.org/election_info/election_results/2014/April-1-Primary-Election |access-date=November 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140412074919/https://www.dcboee.org/election_info/election_results/2014/April-1-Primary-Election |archive-date=April 12, 2014 |url-status=dead }}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Brianne K. Nadeau

|votes = 6,688

|percentage = 59

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Jim Graham

|votes = 4,642

|percentage = 41

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Write-In

|votes = 57

|percentage = 1

}}

References

External links

{{Official website|http://www.grahamwone.com }}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20110302105830/http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/board_of_directors/bios.cfm#graham Metro - About Metro - Biographies] WMATA biography
[https://library.gwu.edu/ead/ms2013.xml Guide to the Jim Graham Papers, 1973-2006, Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117143510/https://library.gwu.edu/ead/ms2013.xml |date=17 November 2016 }}

{{s-ttl

|title=Ward 1 Member, {{nowrap|Council of the District of Columbia}}

|years=1999–2015

}}

Category:1945 births

Category:2017 deaths

Category:American gay politicians

Category:Georgetown University Law Center alumni

Category:Law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States

Category:American LGBTQ city council members

Category:Scottish gay politicians

Category:LGBTQ people from Washington, D.C.