Sharpe James

Sharpe James (born February 20, 1936) is an American former politician from New Jersey. A Democrat, he served as the 37th mayor of Newark from 1986 to 2006 and as a state senator for the 29th legislative district from 1999 to 2008. He is the longest-serving mayor in Newark's history and is a subject of the 2005 feature-film ''Street Fight'', which depicts Newark's 2002 mayoral election where James faced a closer-than-expected challenge from Cory Booker. Once a popular figure in New Jersey politics, his career effectively ended after he was convicted of high-profile corruption charges in 2008. Provided by Wikipedia