Emanuel Cleaver

Emanuel Cleaver II (born October 26, 1944) is an American politician and United Methodist pastor serving as the U.S. representative for Missouri's 5th congressional district since 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 51st mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, from 1991 to 1999, becoming the first Black person to hold that role. Cleaver represents a district that primarily consists of the inner ring of the Kansas City metropolitan area, including nearly all of Kansas City and some of its suburbs in Clay and Jackson counties, including North Kansas City, Gladstone, Independence, Lee's Summit, and some of Blue Springs. He chaired the Congressional Black Caucus from 2011 to 2013. In his 11th term in Congress as of 2025, Cleaver previously served three terms on the Kansas City Council from 1979 to 1991, until he was elected mayor, serving two terms from 1991 to 1999.