David F. Gantt
David F. Gantt Jr. (September 12, 1941 – July 1, 2020) was an American politician who served as a member of the New York Assembly from 1983 to 2020 as a member of the Democratic Party. Prior to his Assembly tenure, he was a member of the Monroe County, New York Legislature. He was the first and, until the election of Demond Meeks in 2020, only black person to represent Monroe County in the New York Assembly.
David F. Gantt | |
|---|---|
Gantt in 1959 | |
| Member of the New York Assembly | |
| In office January 1, 1983 – July 1, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Dale Rath (133rd district) Christopher S. Friend (137th district) |
| Succeeded by | Bill Nojay (133rd district) Demond Meeks (137th district) |
| Constituency | 133rd district (1983–2012) 137th district (2013–2020) |
| Member of the Monroe County, New York Legislature from the 22nd district | |
| In office 1973 – December 21, 1982 | |
| Preceded by | Ronald Good |
| Succeeded by | Ron Thomas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 21, 1941 Opp, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | July 1, 2020 (aged 78) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 2 |
| Signature | |
Gantt was born in Alabama and his family moved to New York during the 1950s. He attended two colleges after graduating from high school, but dropped out of both after a few years. In 1973, he was elected to the Monroe County Legislature and served until his election to the Assembly in 1982. During his tenure in the Assembly, he served on the Aging, Commerce, Election Laws, Steering, Transportation, and Ways and Means committees.