Frederick Madison Roberts

Frederick Roberts
Frederick Roberts
	Frank H. Mouser
Succeeded by	Augustus Hawkins
Constituency	74th district (1919–1931); 62nd district (1931–1935)
Personal details
Born	September 14, 1879; Chillicothe, Ohio, U.S.
Died	July 19, 1952 (aged 72); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Pearl Hinds (m. 1921)
Children	Gloria Roberts; Patricia Roberts
Education	University of Southern California; Colorado College

Frederick Madison Roberts (September 14, 1879 – July 19, 1952) was an American newspaper owner and editor, educator and business owner; he became a politician, the first known man of

African American descent elected to the California State Assembly. He served there for 16 years and became known as "dean of the assembly." He has been honored as the first person of African-American descent to be elected to public office among the states on the West Coast

.

Roberts was a great-grandson of Sally Hemings of Monticello and President Thomas Jefferson.

Early life and education

Roberts was born on September 14, 1879, in

Fawn Brodie saw a family photo of Ellen, she said that she could see the strong resemblance to Jefferson.^[1] A. J. Roberts was a businessman.^[2]

When Frederick was six, his family moved in 1885 to

African-American

descent.

Roberts began college at the University of Southern California (USC) where he majored in pre-law. He continued at Colorado College, from which he graduated. He also attended the Barnes-Worsham School of Embalming and Mortuary Science.

Career and civic life

In 1908, Roberts started editing the Colorado Springs Light

Mound Bayou, Mississippi, where he served some years as principal of Mound Bayou Normal and Industrial Institute, one of a number of schools founded for African Americans in the segregated state system.^[3]

In 1912, Roberts returned to Los Angeles, where he founded The New Age Dispatch newspaper (later called New Age), which he edited until 1948.^[1] When he partnered with his father in the mortuary business, they named it A.J. Roberts & Son. Eventually he took it over.^[3]

Roberts, a newspaper editor and business owner, emerged as a prominent figure in the burgeoning African-American community of Los Angeles. During the 20th century, he witnessed the influx of people migrating from

Urban League. These associations, established in the early 20th century, aimed to advocate for the political and civil rights of black people.^[4]

Marriage and family

In 1921, Roberts married Pearl Hinds, who had studied at the

Boston Conservatory of Music. They had two daughters: Gloria, who became a professional classical pianist, and Patricia, who lived in Los Angeles.^[1]

Political career

In 1918, Roberts was elected to the

UNIA to Los Angeles and rode in his parade car.^[1]

Roberts was re-elected repeatedly and served a continuous total of 16 years, becoming known as the "dean of the assembly." He was a friend of

Augustus F. Hawkins. Following his 1934 California State Assembly defeat, Roberts ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives

on two occasions.

Beginning in the late 1930s and the early 1940s, the second wave of the

Richard M. Nixon

.

On the evening of July 18, 1952, a few days after attending the 1952 Republican National Convention, Roberts sustained serious injuries when the car he was driving was struck by another vehicle near his Los Angeles home.^[5] He died the following afternoon at Los Angeles County General Hospital. Roberts is interred at Evergreen Cemetery.^[4] He was survived by his wife and two daughters.

Legacy

1957 - The city of Los Angeles dedicated Frederick M. Roberts Park, 4700 Honduras St., in his memory.
February 25, 2002 - The California State Senate honored Frederick Madison Roberts for his contributions and service to the State of California, with a unanimous vote for Senate Resolution 26, authored by Senator Ray Haynes (R-Riverside).
February 2006,
Mervyn M. Dymally of the California State Legislature featured the biography of Frederick M. Roberts on his website to honor early political leaders as part of Black History Month.^[6]

Citations

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Fawn M. Brodie, "Thomas Jefferson's Unknown Grandchildren: A Study in Historical Silences", American Heritage Magazine, Jun 1976, Vol. 27: Issue 6, accessed November 25, 2008.
^ https://digital.library.ucla.edu/catalog?f%5Bnamed_subject_sim%5D%5B%5D=Roberts%2C+A.+J.+%28Andrew+Jackson%29%2C+1852-1927&sort=title_alpha_numeric_ssort+asc
^ ^a ^b ^c Robert Fikes, "Frederick Madison Roberts", Online Encyclopedia: African American History in the West, The Black Past, 2007-2008, accessed November 25, 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Frederick Madison Roberts", The Political Graveyard, accessed November 25, 2008.
^ Johnson, John H., ed. (July 31, 1952). "This week's census". Jet. 2 (14). Chicago, Illinois: Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.: 25.
^ Jasmyne Cannick, "Hon. Mervyn M. Dymally Kicks off Black History Month By Highlighting Influential Blacks in California Politics" Archived 2008-10-27 at the Wayback Machine, Democrats, California Assembly, January 31, 2006, accessed November 25, 2008.

California Assembly
Preceded by Frank H. Mouser	Member of the California State Assembly from the 74th district January 6, 1919–January 5, 1931	Succeeded by Archibald E. Brock
Preceded by Walter J. Little	Member of the California State Assembly from the 62nd district January 5, 1931–January 7, 1935	Succeeded by Augustus Hawkins