Though he was born in Fort Benning, Georgia, Johnny Dupree is very much a product of Hattiesburg.

DuPree was appointed to the Hattiesburg Public School Board in 1987. He served on the Forrest County Board of Supervisors for 10 years after being elected in 1991. He was the elected mayor of Hattiesburg in 2001, a role he served in until 2017. DuPree was the city’s first African American mayor and his tenure was the longest of any other Hattiesburg mayor. He was also the Democratic nominee for governor in 2011.

DuPree is a graduate of Jones Junior College and the University of Southern Mississippi. He received his doctorate in urban studies from Jackson State University.

He teaches a course on social welfare policy and analysis at USM. He also owns Johnny DuPree Realty, Johnny DuPree Consulting, LLC and DuPree Transportation, Inc.

DuPree and his wife, Johniece, have been married for 46 years. They have two daughters – April DuPree (Coustaur) Taylor and Monica DuPree – and two grandsons, Chandler and Chesney.