A Celebration of Black History

James Del Rio (1924-) Distinguished Politician & Businessman

James Del Rio is known as the first African American licensed mortgage banker in the United States after establishing his real estate business, Associate Brokers Investment Company in 1953. Later, he served eight years as a Court Judge in Detroit, Michigan.

Born in January of 1924, Del Rio was adopted and grew up in Detroit. He attended the University of Michigan and the Detroit College of Law. With a successful career as a real estate broker and insurance executive, he became a member of the Mayor’s Committee on Industrial and Commercial Development. In 1962, he was appointed financial consultant for the U.S. Foreign Trade Commission. In 1965, Del Rio was elected to the State House of Representatives. At 92 years of age, Del Rio is retired and currently resides in southern California.

Please visit http://jamesdelrio.net/ for more information and photos about his career in business, politics, and civil rights.

Sources:

Smith, Jesse Carney. Black Facts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events. 3rd ed. 81. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 2013.

James Del Rio. Web. 26 Feb 2016. http://jamesdelrio.net/.