Harvey Gantt

Harvey B. Gantt (born 1943 in Charleston, South Carolina) is an architect and politician. In 1963, he was the first black American to be admitted to Clemson University. He received a degree in architecture with Honors from Clemson and a Master's degree in City Planning from MIT. He continued in that profession and built a successful architectural practice, Gantt Huberman Architects.

He was elected the first black mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, serving in that position from 1983 - 1987. He staged two unsuccessful U.S. Senatorial campaigns against Jesse Helms in 1990 and in 1996. He remains active in politics, serving on the North Carolina Executive Council and Democratic National Committee.

His daughter Sonja Gantt is a news anchor at WCNC-TV.

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