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Marion Barry: Ex-Washington DC mayor dies at 78 | Marion Barry: Ex-Washington DC mayor dies at 78 |
(35 minutes later) | |
Former Washington DC Mayor Marion Barry, who won re-election after a drug arrest, has died at the age of 78. | Former Washington DC Mayor Marion Barry, who won re-election after a drug arrest, has died at the age of 78. |
A Democrat, Mr Barry served three terms from 1979 to 1991 before his personal life overshadowed his politics. | A Democrat, Mr Barry served three terms from 1979 to 1991 before his personal life overshadowed his politics. |
He was arrested in an FBI sting operation and tried on drug charges in 1990, but was only convicted on a single count of possession. | He was arrested in an FBI sting operation and tried on drug charges in 1990, but was only convicted on a single count of possession. |
He remained popular with many poorer African American voters, and served a final term as mayor from 1995 to 1999. | He remained popular with many poorer African American voters, and served a final term as mayor from 1995 to 1999. |
Mr Barry died overnight at a hospital in Washington, DC Council spokeswoman LaToya Foster said. | |
The cause of death was not disclosed, but he had kidney problems stemming from diabetes and high blood pressure. | |
His 1990 arrest - which came during his third term - came after he was videotaped by the FBI smoking crack in a Washington hotel room with a female friend. | His 1990 arrest - which came during his third term - came after he was videotaped by the FBI smoking crack in a Washington hotel room with a female friend. |
During the subsequent trial jurors remained deadlocked on most counts. His conviction for drug possession led to a six-month prison sentence. | During the subsequent trial jurors remained deadlocked on most counts. His conviction for drug possession led to a six-month prison sentence. |
The son of a sharecropper, born in Mississippi in 1936, Mr Barry was active in the civil rights movements in Washington in the 1960s, and was first elected to the city council in 1974. | |
He went on to dominate Washington's politics for a quarter-century and was sometimes dubbed "Mayor for Life". | |
Confirming his death, the Washington Post described his personal and public life as "fraught with high drama and irony". | |
"He came to Washington as a champion of the downtrodden and the dispossessed and rose to the pinnacle of power and prestige," the newspaper wrote. |