Arthur Eve

Eve and Constance Bowles (born July 14, 1932), also an alumnus of West Virginia State College, were married in June 1956.

They have one daughter and four sons: Leecia Roberta Eve, Arthur O. Eve Jr.; Eric Vincent Eve, Martin King Eve, and Malcolm X. Eve.

Arthur O. Eve (born March 23, 1933) is a retired American politician who served as a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly (1967–2002) and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly (1979–2002) representing districts in Buffalo, New York.

He was the first Dominican-American elected to public office in the United States, and the first African American to win a Buffalo mayoral Democratic primary but was defeated in the following mayoral election.

After studies at West Virginia State College he arrived in Buffalo in February 1953 as a product of the segregated south, with less than $10 ($0 today) in his pocket.

Eve served in the United States Army from 1953–1955 and achieved the rank of corporal.

Eve holds an Associate's degree from Erie Community College and a Bachelor of Science from West Virginia.

He had been an All-High basketball player in Florida and became an All-Europe player during his Army tour of duty in Germany, where he ran a program for orphans.

After completing his Army service he returned to Buffalo in 1955.

Eve's first job in Buffalo was in a Chevrolet plant.

While working there he became aware of drugs problems with local youths in the city's parks, and observed a lack of guidance for youth in the community.

He surrendered his job to pursue a post in parks recreation, but learned that such jobs were doled out by political patronage to party loyalists.

Eve joined the Democratic Party and got one of the patronage parks jobs.

By 1958, he was blossoming as an independent activist within the party, pursuing minority rights, and was the only ward leader who was not part of the political establishment.

Eve rose to prominence in the mid-1960s during Buffalo's civil disturbances and rights.

He expanded his notability during the Attica Prison riots.

Eve was elected a New York State Assemblyman in 1966 and by the time of his retirement in 2002 had served in the New York State Assembly (143rd District 1967–82, 141st District 1983–2002) longer than any other incumbent member.

As Deputy Speaker, he was the highest ranking African American in the New York State Legislature.

During his political career he became a political foe of Western New York politician James D. Griffin and of New York State Governors Mario Cuomo and George Pataki.

He was a founding member of the New York State Black and Puerto Rican Legislative Caucus.

This role led to his 1966 New York State Assembly election victory.

Eve was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1966 following several years of service as an independent ward leader in Buffalo.

His election came via defeating two-term incumbent Arthur Hardwick, Jr. in a Democratic primary contest.

During the Buffalo riot of 1967, Eve attempted to organize formal meetings in order to avert physical confrontations.

Eve fought against union policies which disallowed minority participation in apprentice programs that led to high paying union jobs on state construction sites.

He threatened New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller that he would lie down in front of bulldozers at one of these sites.

In 1968, he delayed construction on the State University of New York at Buffalo's Amherst Campus to push through an agreement that New York State and the unions would promote minority access into the construction industry.

He was a deacon in his church in the 1970s.

After his retirement from politics, he became an evangelist.

Eve was an observer and negotiator during the 1971 Attica Prison riot and the first official to enter the facility to hear the demands of the inmates.

An advocate for liberal causes such as economic development, education, job training and development, social services, crime prevention and parole reform, day care and housing, Eve was also a leader in the movement to legislate Harriet Tubman Day as a New York State holiday.

He is the father of attorney and former candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York Leecia Eve.

Eve was born in New York City, to an immigrant father from the Dominican Republic.

He was raised in Florida.

At the national level, Eve was once one of three alternates to the 15-person 1984 Democratic Party Platform Committee.

Eric, who was a White House aide under Bill Clinton, ran Al Gore's New York State 2000 Democratic presidential primary campaign.

Malcolm also worked for the Clinton administration, and the Obama administration.

Eve, who was an Episcopalian, has a history of being a religious man.

He remained in the Assembly until 2002, sitting in the 177th, 178th, 179th, 180th, 181st, 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th, 189th, 190th, 191st, 192nd, 193rd and 194th New York State Legislatures.

Leecia is a Democratic politician and attorney and a former candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York during the 2006 election as well as a contender to replace Hillary Clinton as United States Senator when Clinton became United States Secretary of State in 2009.