Lucien Blackwell

Lucien Blackwell
Lucien Blackwell
	James O'Donnell
Succeeded by	Alija Dumas
Member of the Philadelphia City Council from the 3rd District
	In office; January 7, 1974 – February 7, 1991
Preceded by	Charles L. Durham
Succeeded by	Jannie Blackwell
Personal details
Born	Lucien Edward Blackwell; August 1, 1931; Whitsett, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	January 24, 2003 (aged 71); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Jannie Blackwell
Children	Thomas W. Blackwell

Lucien Edward Blackwell (August 1, 1931 – January 24, 2003) was an American boxer, longshoreman, and politician. He served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1973 to 1975, Philadelphia City Council from 1975 to 1991, and the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 1995.

Early life

Blackwell was born in Whitsett, Fayette County, Pennsylvania on August 1, 1931. After attending West Philadelphia High School, he took a job as a dockworker and briefly pursued a career as a boxer. In 1953, he was drafted into the United States Army and served in the Korean War. Blackwell was a boxing champion during his years in the Army. After his service ended, he returned to the docks as a longshoreman.^[1] In 1973, he became the president of the International Longshoremen's Association, Local 1332.

Blackwell's professional political career began with election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where he served from 1973 to 1975.

"Lucien the Solution" was best known as a vibrant member of the

Philadelphia Mayor (and Council President) John Street

Blackwell was elected as a

Bill Gray, and reelected to the succeeding Congress. In Congress, Blackwell was a member of the United States House Committee on the Budget and a reliable advocate for President Bill Clinton

Blackwell was ultimately an unsuccessful candidate for renomination to the

1994, losing the primary to Chaka Fattah

On January 24, 2003, Blackwell died at the age of 71.[3] A mural reading "Thank you, Mr. Blackwell", can be seen at 42nd Street and Haverford Avenue in West Philadelphia. Blackwell's widow, Jannie Blackwell, was formerly a member of the Philadelphia City Council, also representing the Third District, and his son, Thomas, was a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

^ "Blackwell, Lucien Edward". US House of Representatives. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
^ "Blackwell, Burrell Jockeying For Endorsement". The Philadelphia Inquirer. February 1, 1991. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
^ ^a ^b Twyman, Anthony S., Fleming, Leonard M., and Fitzgerald, Thomas (January 25, 2003). "Lucien Blackwell, fighter for the working class, dies". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 29, 2003. Retrieved June 25, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by William Gray	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district 1991–1995	Succeeded by Chaka Fattah
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Preceded by James O'Donnell	Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 188th District 1973–1976	Succeeded by Alija Dumas
Philadelphia City Council
Preceded by Charles L. Durham	Member of the Philadelphia City Council for the 3rd District 1974–1991	Succeeded by Jannie Blackwell

Authority control databases
International	FAST VIAF
National	United States
People	US Congress
Other	SNAC 2