The Honorable Howard Nathaniel Lee

Mayor Howard Nathaniel Lee was born on July 28, 1951 in Lithonia, Georgia to Lou Tempie Barnes Lee and Howard Lee. Lee received his B.A. degree in sociology from Fort Valley State College in Fort Valley, Georgia in 1959 and his M.A. degree from the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1966.

After graduating from Fort Valley State College, Lee served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. In 1961, Lee became a probation officer in Savannah, Georgia. After graduating with his M.A. degree, Lee worked as an administrator at Duke University and as a visiting faculty member at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina from 1966 to 1975. In 1969, Lee was elected as the first African American mayor of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, making him the first African American mayor to be elected in a majority-white city in the South United States, where he served for three terms. In 1977, under Governor Jim Hunt, Lee joined the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Community Development as a secretary. In 1982, Lee also worked as a faculty member at his alma mater, the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for nine years. In 1990, Lee was elected as a state senator with the North Carolina General Assembly, where he served for thirteen years. Lee became the first African American chairman of the North Carolina Board of Education in 2003. Lee also worked as a commissioner for the North Carolina Utilities Commission until 2009. During this period, Lee published his memoir, The Courage to Lead, One Man’s Journey in Public Service in 2008. In 2009, Lee was appointed by Governor Beverly Perdue as the first executive director of the North Carolina Education Cabinet and he served in this role until 2011, when he created the Howard N. Lee Institute, which focuses on preparing minority and disadvantaged high school students for success.

Throughout his career, Lee received numerous awards and honors including the Distinguished Service Medal from the University of North Carolina General Alumni Association (now the Carolina Alumni) in 1999, the North Carolina Award for Public Service from the State of North Carolina in 2015, and the North Caroliniana Society Award in 2021. He also received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in 2024. Fort Valley State University named the Howard Nathaniel Lee Circle in 2019, and the City of Chapel Hill named the Howard and Lillian Lee Transit Operation Center in 2022.

Lee lives with his wife, Lillian, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. They have three children, two grandchildren, and one great grandchild.

The Honorable Howard Nathaniel Lee was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on April 23, 2023.