36 Facts About Sharpe James

Sharpe James was born on February 20,1936 and is an American former politician from New Jersey.

Sharpe James is the longest-serving mayor in Newark's history and is a subject of the 2005 feature-film Street Fight, which depicts Newark's 2002 mayoral election where James faced a closer-than-expected challenge from Cory Booker.

Sharpe James has been a resident of Newark since 1940.

Sharpe James received the 1961 Department of Physiology Award from that school, and later completed postgraduate studies at Washington State University, Columbia University, and Rutgers University.

In 1988, James was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Montclair State University, and, in 1991, an Honorary Doctorate from Drew University.

Sharpe James was first elected to public office in 1970 as a South Ward Councilman.

Sharpe James was reelected to the council in 1974, defeating his sole opponent by a ten-to-one margin.

Sharpe James was elected to a third term in 1978, and in 1982 he became the first ward councilman elected to an at-large seat.

In 1983, after talk show host Phil Donahue made comments about Newark being "a place foreigners wouldn't want to visit", Sharpe James demanded an apology.

On January 30,1986, James announced he would run for Mayor of Newark to challenge four-term incumbent Kenneth A Gibson.

Sharpe James was the first Newark mayor to run unopposed when he sought re-election in 1990 and handily won re-election in 1994 and 1998.

Sharpe James became Newark's longest-serving mayor when he was re-elected for an unprecedented fifth term in 2002, a year after being named "Mayor of the Year" by the New Jersey Conference of Mayors.

Sharpe James faced scrutiny over a racist and homophobic statement involving a slur made to Booker during a public confrontation prior to election day, but still was victorious in the tense election.

Sharpe James had a reputation for questionable campaign tactics, including alleged use of the police force for his own purposes, intimidating supporters of his opponents and attacking his opponents' heritage.

In 1987 and 1988, Sharpe James served as the New Jersey chairman of Jesse Jackson's campaign for the 1988 Democratic Party presidential nomination.

Sharpe James was later sentenced to 41 months in federal prison.

In 2006, Sharpe James championed the relocation of the New Jersey Devils to the City of Newark.

In June 1999, while serving as Mayor, Sharpe James was appointed to the New Jersey Senate to fill out the unexpired term of the late Senator Wynona Lipman, and won election to that seat the following November.

Sharpe James was re-elected for a full term in November 2001 and continued to hold both offices.

From 2002 to 2003, Sharpe James served as Assistant Democratic leader of the senate, and from 2004 to 2005 he served as Assistant Senate Majority leader under Bernard Kenny.

Sharpe James became vice chairman of the Senate budget committee in 2004, serving in that position under Senator Wayne R Bryant, who was indicted in March 2007 for corruption charges.

The OPRA request showed that Sharpe James had spent over $70,000 with the card for personal expenses over a two-year period.

Later, he further alleged that Sharpe James had misused city-issued credit cards for himself and eight women during out-of-state vacations between 2001 and 2006.

Sharpe James's lawyers maintained that James had not violated federal law.

The defense counter-argued that Sharpe James was acting properly in his capacity as a senator and should have enjoyed immunity.

Sharpe James testified that Tamika Riley had privileged access to James and that City Hall officials were aware they were having an affair.

Seven days after his release, Sharpe James filed an appeal to reverse his convictions.

Sharpe James further appealed seeking to overturn the convictions due to a juror being dishonest; this appeal was dismissed in February 2013.

In 2011, the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission filed a lawsuit against Sharpe James alleging that he and his campaign treasurer, Cheryl Johnson, improperly used about $94,000 in campaign funds to pay for legal fees.

In January 2015, a state appeals court struck down an appeal by Sharpe James and upheld the higher court's ruling.

In 2013, Sharpe James published a 17-chapter book titled Political Prisoner, which he had written in prison.

That same year, he advised the election campaign of his son John Sharpe James, who won a seat on the Municipal Council of Newark.

That same year Sharpe James endorsed Cory Booker, a former foe he had defeated in the 2002 Newark mayoral race, in the special election for US Senator to replace the late Frank Lautenberg.

In 2022, Sharpe James attempted to run for office as an at-large candidate for Newark City Council despite a court order banning him from running a public elected office.

Sharpe James's certification was denied by Newark City Clerk Kenneth Louis on March 3,2022.

Sharpe James attempted to sue after his candidacy was rejected, arguing that while he was prohibited from holding public office, running as a candidate was not prohibited.