Frank Conaway Sr., the long time Clerk of the Baltimore City Circuit Court has died. Family members said the 81-year-old passed away in his sleep Saturday night.
A self-described godfather of African-American politics in Baltimore, Mr. Conaway, or "Papa Bear" as he was called by supporters, was the patriarch of a political dynasty in the city.
His son, Frank Jr., is in his third term in the House of Delegates; representing the same district Frank Sr. did in the past. Daughter Belinda Conaway, a former city councilwoman, was recently elected Register of Wills. Her mother and Frank Sr.'s wife, Mary, held that office for 30 years.
Mr. Conaway, who served as the circuit court clerk since 1998, was a Democrat until last December when he became a Republican, citing dissatisfaction with Democrats.
“I have been a loyal Democrat since the first day I registered to vote on January 1, 1956, and have remained a faithful member of the party through the years, including during elected terms as a state delegate and later as the Clerk of the Circuit Court,” he said at the time of the switch, “And yet all they have ever shown me and my family was a cold shoulder and the door."
Mr. Conaway was born in Baltimore on March 16, 1933. He graduated from Frederick Douglass High School, served in the U.S. Army and graduated from what then was Morgan State College in 1960.
He taught math at Booker T. Washington Junior High School, but lured by the prospect of more money, he became a salesman for Prudential Insurance, according to an article in The Baltimore Sun archive. After breaking sales records for three years, he became the first black agency manager for Prudential in the country; eventually opening his own agencies in 1974.
Mr. Conaway closed his insurance businesses in 1982 amid accusations of irregularities, that included that he did not pay three insurance companies and a finance company and that he overcharged customers.
He served in the House of Delegates for two terms, 1971-1975 and 1979-1983. He also campaigned at various times for city councilman, city comptroller and mayor. His most recent campaign for mayor in 2011 drew notoriety for a rap song that criticized his opponents, including current Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake; referring to her as "Stephanie Rawlings-Fake"
Rawlings-Blake praised Mr. Conway in a statement Sunday. "He redefined what was possible for generations of African Americans in Baltimore," she said, "This month as we celebrate the heritage and diversity of the African American experience, it is only fitting that we remember all that Frank accomplished."
Funeral arrangements are pending.