Espy, Mike (1953-…), became the first African American to serve as United States secretary of agriculture. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and served until the end of 1994. Before his appointment, Espy had represented Mississippi as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1987. He was the first African American representative from that state since the Reconstruction era of the 1860’s and 1870’s. In Congress, Espy served on the House Agriculture Committee, where he became known for his proposals to help farmers living in poverty. He was also a member of the House Select Committee on Hunger and the House Budget Committee.
In 1997, Espy was charged with accepting gifts from companies regulated by the Department of Agriculture while he was its secretary. Espy pleaded innocent to the charges. A trial was held in 1998. Espy was found not guilty on all of the 30 charges brought against him. The trial judge had earlier dismissed eight other charges.
Alphonso Michael Espy was born on Nov. 30, 1953, in Yazoo City, Mississippi. He received a bachelor’s degree from Howard University in 1975 and a law degree from Santa Clara University in 1978. Espy became an assistant secretary of state of Mississippi in 1978. In 1984 and 1985, he was an assistant state attorney general.
