James Lee Purnell Jr.

James Lee Purnell Jr. (July 26, 1937 – December 27, 2021) was an American politician and social activist. He was best known as the first African-American elected to public office in Worcester County, Maryland. Prior to his election he was one of the lead plaintiffs, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in a voting rights lawsuit to end at-large voting and create a majority "minority" voting district in Worcester County, Maryland. At the time, Purnell was President of the NAACP's Worcester County branch.

Early life and education Purnell was born on July 26, 1937, in Berlin, Maryland, on the black side of town known as Briddeltown, to Hulda McCray Purnell (1911–2000) and James Lee Purnell Sr. (1908–1994), a mill worker and dairy farmer. He was the oldest of eight children from his parents' marriage, followed by Edward L. Purnell, Patricia E. Purnell Hingleton, Gerald W. Purnell Sr., Benjamin H. Purnell Sr., Gilbert C. Purnell, Hennie M. Purnell Chase, and Bertha C. Purnell. He also has three older siblings from his parents' previous relationships: Joshua W. McCray, Osie Henry, and Virginia Purnell. He was the cousin of American college basketball coach Oliver Purnell, and of the Honorable Gerald V. Purnell, the first African-American judge on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Before walking a mile to his primary school, his daily chores included milking the family's seventeen cows and delivering fresh milk with his father. At the all-black schools he attended, the students only had access to secondhand books from the white schools. The books frequently had marked-up, torn, and missing pages. Despite this, Purnell's grades were good through seventh grade. When his grades slipped, the principal and three teachers came to his parents' home to discuss them. In 1971, he began a successful drapery installation business with his wife during the condominium boom in the resort town of Ocean City, Maryland. In 1976, he also became a bus contractor for Worcester County Public Schools and continued as one.

As their president, Purnell and the NAACP began to challenge the illegal voting practices of the county. Prior to this, only three African-Americans had run for the office of Commissioner in Worcester County, but all lost their bids. Together with the ACLU, Purnell was a plaintiff in a 1992 lawsuit stating that at-large voting discriminated against blacks.

After multiple appeals by the Worcester County Board of Commissioners and the Supreme Court's refusal to hear the case, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Worcester County on June 16, 1995, to abolish at-large voting, to create (at that time) the only majority "minority" voting district on the Eastern Shore, and to hold elections in November. The five Republican Commissioners accrued $800,000 in legal fees in their attempt to retain the old voting system. Worcester County was also liable for the $400,000 in legal fees due to the plaintiffs' legal team, the ACLU. Purnell remarked that day was both the "proudest and saddest" day of his life, because his father was not alive to witness it. He was sworn into office on December 3, 1995.

Long-serving County Commissioner Purnell retained his seat as County Commissioner through five terms until he retired in 2014. During his time in office, his fellow Commissioners elected him their vice-president from 1995 to 2005, and from 2010 to 2012. He served as the commission's president from 2005 to 2008.

While in office, Purnell sought to improve county hiring practices and push diversity among county employees. When the Worcester County School Board solicited his support for its annual budget, he refused until it agreed to correct their shortage of African-American teachers. As a result, seventeen were hired within that first year.

Organization memberships member, Worcester County, Maryland Board of County Commissioners (1995–2014, Vice-president 1995–2005, President 2005–2008, Vice-president 2010–2012) member, NAACP of Worcester County, Maryland (President 1986–1995, Vice President) member, NAACP of Maryland (Vice-president 1992–1995) member, Worcester County Board of Health (1994–2014) member, Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore (2006–2014) member, St. Paul United Methodist Church of Berlin, MD (1957–present) 32 degree Prince Hall Freemason and member of the Order of the Eastern Star Founder, annual Martin Luther King Jr. banquet (1985)

Awards Citizenship Award (2015) from the Tri-County Council of the Lower Eastern Shore Inductee (2016) into the Maryland Senior Citizens Hall of Fame