William A. Johnson Jr.
William A. Johnson Jr. (born August 22, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 64th Mayor of the City of Rochester, New York. He was the first African-American mayor in the city's history. Early life and education Johnson is a native of Lynchburg, Virginia. He earned a B.A. and M.A. in Political Science from Howard University in 1965 and 1967, respectively. He then moved to Flint, Michigan, where he worked at Mott Community College and the Flint Urban League. He married Sylvia Andrews McCoy Johnson, Esq., and in 1972 moved to Rochester, New York. Career Prior to his election as mayor, Johnson served for 21 years as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of Rochester, responsible for developing and overseeing programs and project in education, youth development, family services, employment training, and affordable housing. Under his tenure, the league expanded its expenditures and number of community programs. Mayor of Rochester Johnson first entered politics when he ran for Mayor of Rochester in 1993 as a Democrat. In the Democratic primary, he defeated County Legislator Kevin Murray and former City Councilmember Ruth Scott. He received over 72 percent of the vote in the November general