Curtis M. Graves (August 26, 1938 – July 26, 2023) was an American civil rights activist and politician in the state of Texas.
He was one of the first African Americans to serve in the Texas House of Representatives since the Reconstruction.
He grew up in a creole family, his father and uncle owned Butsy and Buddy's, the only black-owned Esso stations in Louisiana at the time.
Graves participated in sit-ins, marches, and helped found the Progressive Youth Association which played a major role in the desegregation of Houston.
[4] Along with Barbara Jordan and Joe Lockridge, he was one of three African-American members elected in 1966, the first ones since 1896.