LANSING, MICHIGAN - Former Michigan state Representative Matthew McNeely, a native Georgian and among the first blacks elected to a leadership position in the House, has died. He was 82. <br>
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McNeely died Wednesday night at Oakwood Hospital Heritage Center in Taylor. He had been sick for some time. <br>
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McNeely represented Detroit in the Legislature for 22 years, retiring in 1986. He served as the first president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators from 1977-79. <br>
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Born in Millen, Georgia, McNeely moved to Detroit in 1937 and worked shining shoes. Later he worked in an auto factory and became active in the United Auto Workers.
