BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor
A well-known Tampa businessman, union leader, and politician, died Wednesday morning after a lengthy illness.
Mr. Perry C. Harvey, Jr., would have celebrated his 82nd birthday (Friday) today.
Mrs. Barbara Harvey, his wife of 42 years, said Mr. Harvey had been ill since 2001, but there would be periods when his health improved.
Mr. Harvey was hospitalized in March 2012, and his health declined from that point. Mrs. Harvey said he died of renal failure.
City Councilman Perry C. Harvey addressed the audience at the Urban Bankers Reception in February 1993.
After serving four years in the U. S. Army during the Korean War, Mr. Harvey returned to Tampa and taught at Booker T. Washington Junior High School for three years. He then became an Administrator with the Pension and Welfare Fund of the International Longshoremen’s Association, (ILA), Local 1402. His father, Mr. Perry C. Harvey, Sr., was the president, and Mr. Harvey served in that capacity for several years. After his father died in 1972, Mr. Harvey was elected as President. He remained in that capacity until his retirement in 2009.
In addition to serving more than thirty years as head of the organization, Mr. Harvey also served as the Assistant Secretary and Treasurer of the South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District of the ILA. He was also one of 23 International Vice Presidents of the International Longshoremen’s Association, his wife said.
During his tenure with the organization, Mr. Harvey traveled extensively on union business throughout the United States. He also visited Japan, Italy, Mexico, Ireland, Puerto Rico, and other countries.
Mr. Harvey served as the President of the College Hill Pharmacy Corporation for several years. Established in the late 1950s, the pharmacy served the African American community until 2011.
In 1986, Mr. Harvey decided to seek an elected office and ran for Tampa City Council. He won the election and became the first African American to serve in that capacity. He served for two consecutive terms as the representative for District 5.
He was active in the community and appointed to numerous boards and organizations.
A native of Thomasville, Georgia, Mr. Harvey moved to Tampa at the age of two with his parents, the late Mr. and Mrs. Perry C. (Mabel Tripp) Harvey, Sr. He was the older of two sons. His brother, Dr. Jerry Harvey, died several years ago.
Perry C. Harvey, Jr., returned to Morehouse College to attend the Morehouse College Region II Conference Dinner. He encouraged the Men of Morehouse to support the school.
Following graduation from Middleton High School in 1946, Mr. Harvey enrolled at Morehouse College, in Atlanta. He graduated with a degree in Biology. He completed his undergraduate work at Atlanta (now Clark-Atlanta) University.
Mrs. Harvey said her husband had aspirations of becoming a doctor prior to entering the military. She further stated that through the years, others have utilized his bound college thesis.
While a student, he became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity, Inc. Mr. Harvey was also one of three African Americans to submit an application to the University of Florida, School of Medicine in the 1960s. The school accepted an African American female from among the three.
As a businessman, Mr. Harvey served as the Chairman of the Board of the Tampa Park Apartments Complex and Plaza. Mr. Perry Harvey, Sr., Mr. Cyril Blythe Andrews, Mr. Cyril Blythe Andrews, Jr., and Mr. Perry C. Harvey, Jr., signed the contract in 1968 to redevelop an area of Tampa just north of downtown. The complex consists of more than 300 apartments and a business complex.
The complex was sponsored by two African American organizations, The Lily Security Benefit Society and the International Longshoremen’s Association, Local 1402. Its purpose was to provide decent, affordable housing to the citizens of Tampa.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Harvey is survived by three adult children, 1 adult stepson, 3 grandchildren, step grandchild, numerous other family members and friends.
Mrs. Harvey said her husband was raised as a member of First Baptist Church of West Tampa. However, during the 1990s, he became a member of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church.
Funeral services for Mr. Harvey will take place at 11 a.m., on Saturday, September 22, at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church. Wilson’s Funeral Home is in charge of handling arrangements.
