Marc Morial

Politician

Birthday January 3, 1958

Birth Sign Capricorn

Birthplace New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

Age 66 years old

Nationality United States

#49487 Most Popular

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Marc Haydel Morial is an American political and civic leader and the current president of the National Urban League.

1980

After completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania in 1980 and receiving his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in 1983, he began his career as a lawyer in New Orleans and in 1985 he established a private law practice there.

In 2021, Harvard University published a case study, profiling Morial, called "Embracing the Uphill Struggle: Marc Morial’s Quest for Corporate Diversity".

Marc Morial was born to Ernest N. "Dutch" Morial and Sybil (Haydel) Morial, an elementary school teacher, Xavier University of New Orleans dean and civic activist.

He is the second of five children.

He was raised in Pontchartrain Park, a subdivision of New Orleans.

Morial went on to graduate Jesuit High School in New Orleans as a member of the National Honor Society.

He was one of only 14 Black students of 1,000 at Jesuit High School, he founded the Student Association for Black Achievement, and organized the school's first Black History Month celebration.

Morial was included in Who’s Who Among High School Students and Who’s Who in America and Outstanding Young Men of America in high school.

In 1980 Morial earned a bachelor's degree in economics and African American studies at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

1983

Morial earned a Juris Doctor degree in 1983 from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. At Georgetown, he was elected first-year Delegate to the Student Bar Association and served as a member and head of fundraising for the National Black Law Students Association.

After working during his third year in law school for the late U.S. Rep. Mickey Leland, he returned to New Orleans to join the firm Barham and Churchill.

1985

In 1985, Morial established a private law practice in New Orleans.

1991

After a narrow defeat in his first race for public office for Louisiana second congressional district, Morial was elected as Louisiana State senator in 1991 where he served until 1994 before being elected Mayor of New Orleans.

1992

As a Louisiana State Senator (1992–94), Morial was Chairman of the Educational Institution Subcommittee; and member of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus.

1994

Morial served as Mayor of New Orleans from 1994 to 2002 as the city's youngest Mayor, President of the United States Conference of Mayors in 2001, and as a Louisiana State Senator from 1992 to 1994.

Morial was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Marc Morial was elected Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana in 1994 by defeating Donald Mintz with 54% of the vote.

He’s the youngest person elected Mayor of New Orleans in 50 years and at the time, one of the youngest mayors of a major American city.

He campaigned with the promise to "clean out City Hall with a shovel not a broom."

1998

Morial won re-election to a second term in 1998, receiving almost 80% of the votes.

During his time as Mayor, the rate of violent crime in New Orleans fell by 50%."

He was also appointed to the Twenty-First Century Workforce Commission by President Bill Clinton (1998-2000).

2001

From 2001 to 2002, Morial was President of the United States Conference of Mayors.

Morial was elected President of the United States Conference of Mayors by membership and served as chief spokesperson for America’s Cities (2001–02).

In addition to his time as President, he also served as the organization’s Chairman for the Committee on Arts, Chairman for the Federal Budget Task Force, and Chairman for the Task Force on Hunger and Homelessness, and Vice President, among other positions.

2003

In 2003, Morial was selected to head the National Urban League.

2004

In 2004, Morial added a new metric, the Equality Index, to the League's annual State of Black America.

Morial has written two non-fiction books, published speeches, weekly newspaper columns and a weekly newsletter, “ReMarcs” for the National Urban League.

2010

Morial served as Chair of the Census Advisory Committee (2010), and a member President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability (2012-2015).