Terry Francois

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Terry A. Francois

| image = Terry_Francois.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Terry Francois

| birth_date = c. 1922

| birth_place = New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1989|6|9|1922}}

| death_place = San Francisco, California, U.S.

| nationality = American

| occupation = Attorney, politician, civil rights activist

| alma_mater = Xavier University (BA)

Atlanta University (MBA)

University of California, Hastings (JD)

| party = Democratic (until 1988)

Republican (1988–1989)

| spouse = {{marriage|Marion Le Blanc|1947|end=1989}}

| children = 5

| branch = United States Marine Corps

| serviceyears = World War II

| rank = Platoon sergeant

| office = Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors

| term_start = 1964

| term_end = 1978

| predecessor =

| successor =

| appointed = John Shelley

| known_for = First African American member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors

}}

Terry A. Francois ({{circa}} 1922 – June 9, 1989) was an African American attorney, civil rights activist, and politician. He served as the San Francisco chapter president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and became the first African American to serve on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Biography

Born in New Orleans, Francois obtained his bachelor's degree from Xavier University in 1940. He attended Atlanta University, where he earned a master's degree in business. Francois joined the United States Marine Corps, serving as a platoon sergeant in World War II. After the war, Francois moved to San Francisco, where he attended the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and received his law degree in 1949.{{cite web|date=June 11, 1989|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-06-11-mn-3189-story.html |title=T.A. Francois; Rights Lawyer, Ex-S.F. Supervisor – Los Angeles Times |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=2012-09-26}}

Francois protested unfair practices against Blacks in housing. He was elected as the San Francisco chapter president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=n5AyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RukFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3028,7898989&dq=terry-francois&hl=en The Miami News – Google News Archive Search] He also served on the board of the San Francisco Urban League.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MKAkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=G_4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=890,2830577&dq=terry-francois&hl=en The Afro American – Google News Archive Search] In private practice, Francois represented Margherite Mays, the wife of Willie Mays.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eVdGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jOUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5478,498231&dq=terry-francois&hl=en Washington Afro-American – Google News Archive Search][https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RfRRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xnYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2258,1977539&dq=terry-francois&hl=en St. Petersburg Times – Google News Archive Search]

Francois was named to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1964 by Mayor John Shelley, becoming the first African American to serve on the Board. He was elected to his own term in 1967, and re-elected in 1971 and 1975. After San Francisco transitioned to supervisor elections based on districts, rather than at-large elections,{{cite web|author=LES LEDBETTER Special to The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/24/archives/san-francisco-vote-to-test-new-mayor-august-referendum-could-force.html |title=SAN FRANCISCO VOTE TO TEST NEW MAYOR – August Referendum Could Force Moscone to Run Again After Only 2 Years of 4-Year Term – Article – NYTimes.com |publisher=Select.nytimes.com |date=1977-05-24 |access-date=2012-09-26}} Francois resigned his supervisor post in 1978 to return to private practice.{{cite news|author=APPublished: June 13, 1989 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/13/obituaries/terry-a-francois-lawyer-67.html |title=Terry A. Francois, Lawyer, 67 – New York Times |work=The New York Times |date=1989-06-13 |access-date=2012-09-26}}

In 1988, he left the Democratic Party, registering with the Republican Party and endorsing George H. W. Bush in the 1988 United States presidential election.{{cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB0D89C19DBF107&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title=News Archives – sacbee.com |publisher=Nl.newsbank.com |date=1988-11-01 |access-date=2012-09-26}}

He died of cancer on June 9, 1989, at the age of 67.

Personal life

Francois married Marion Le Blanc in 1947. With his wife, Francois had five children: four sons and a daughter. He had eight grandchildren.

He was Catholic, and helped to lead the Catholic Interracial Council in San Francisco before its demise.{{Cite web|last=O'Dell, Clay Mansfield, Department of Religious Studies, University of Virginia|title=On Story Ground: The Catholic Interracial Council in the Archdiocese of San Francisco|url=https://libraetd.lib.virginia.edu/public_view/9k41zd81j|access-date=2020-12-25|website=libraetd.lib.virginia.edu}}

Criticism

Following the end of the Civil Rights Movement and the rise of the Black Panthers, Francois was often criticized for his more lax approach to social issues, especially those affecting the Black community. He was seen by some as more of a White-oriented talking head than a figure fighting forcefully for Black causes.