Milton Lorenzo Mcghee

Milton Lorenzo McGhee, 86, born on February 18, 1932, in Atlanta, Georgia, passed away April 20, 2018. He resided in Palm Desert, California for the pasts several years until the time of his passing. Funeral and burial arrangements are under the direction of Forest Lawn Cathedral City. Visitation will take place on Wednesday (May 2) from 4-8pm. Funeral and burial will take place on Thursday (May 3) from 12- 1pm at Forest Lawn, Cathedral City
Milton Lorenzo McGhee was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended Clark College (Atlanta) where he met and married Jean Young upon graduation. From there Milton attained a law degree from Howard University (Washington DC) and obtained a Masters in Law from UC Berkeley in 1959. They had three children, Emerson, Kenny and Karen. Milton is also survived by five grandchildren (Lauren, Nicole, Tuximane (Thomas), Yannick, and Andreas) and one great grandchild (E'drece) along with a large family, principally in the Atlanta area
Milton was among the first African Americans to serve as a law clerk in the office of U.S. Attorney General William Rogers in 1960-61. He was admitted to the California Bar in 1961. He became a successful attorney in Sacramento where he and Jean settled and raised their family. He was a partner in the law firm Colley & McGhee, before opening his own private practice for many years. He was named the Chamber of Commerce Young Man of the Year and served as president of the Sacramento Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He was active in many local and community causes throughout his years in Sacramento. He was a proud member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Milton was also a proud veteran, U.S. Army.
Milton had a successful political career being the first African American elected to the Sacramento City Council in 1967 and quickly rose to the ranks of Vice-Mayor. In 1971, Milton ran a hard-fought campaign for Mayor, falling short by just 800 votes. Milton was a delegate to the famous 1968 Democratic National Convention and served in various advisory campaign roles to statewide and national elected officials.
Milton had an active spiritual life serving as a member of many churches during his life. He was a pastor, a mentor, a bible study teacher and advisor to hundreds over the past several years.
Milton loved real estate and community development. His in-depth knowledge and insight about property and housing in the United States began as a graduate law student, illustrated in a Cornell Law Review article (1961) entitled The House I Live In. He was active in many housing and redevelopment projects until recently.