| Emmanuel Onunwor | |
| Birth Date: | 24 May 1952 |
| Nationality: | American |
| Office: | Mayor of East Cleveland, Ohio |
| Predecessor: | Wallace D. Davis |
| Successor: | Saratha Goggins |
| Term Start: | January 1, 1998 |
| Term End: | September 1, 2004 |
| Spouse: | Diane Onunwor |
| Education: | B.A. and M.A. Cleveland State University |
Emmanuel Onunwor (born May 24, 1952, as Emmanuel Onunwa) is a Nigeria-born American who served as the mayor of East Cleveland, Ohio.
Onunwor was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria where he attended primary and secondary schools.[1] In 1980, he immigrated to the United States where he earned a B.A. and M.A. in urban studies at Cleveland State University.[1]
In the November 1997 general election, running as a non-partisan, he defeated incumbent mayor Wallace D. Davis with 62.56% of the vote.[1] He was sworn in on January 1, 1998[1] becoming the first African-born Black mayor in the United States.[2] In the November 2001 general election, running as a Republican, he was re-elected with 71.19% of the vote defeating Democrat Eric J. Brewer (who would later win election as mayor in 2005).[1] After being convicted for racketeering, extortion, mail fraud, and tax evasion,[3] he resigned on September 1, 2004.[1] He was succeeded by the East Cleveland City Council President, Democrat Saratha Goggins, the first female mayor of East Cleveland.[1] [4]
In September 2005, he was sentenced by U.S. District Court judge James S. Gwin to nine years in prison.[5] [6] At sentencing, Onunwor stated: "I apologize to my family, my friends and the citizens...I did wrong. I deserve to be punished.[6]
In 2009, his son, Clifton Onunwor, was sentenced to life in prison for killing his mother, Diane Onunwor.[7]