George French Ecton
George French Ecton | |
---|---|
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives | |
In office 1888–1890 | |
Personal details | |
Born | c. 1846 Chicago, Illinois |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Patti R. Allen (m. 1877) |
Occupation | Waiter, politician |
George French Ecton (c. 1846 – September 19, 1929) was a civil rights activist and the second African American state legislator in Illinois. He was born a slave in
On October 28, 1873, he moved to Chicago and took charge of the dining room at the Hotel Woodruff.[1] In 1877 he married Patti R. Allen, also from Winchester.[3] In Chicago, Ecton became active in Republican politics.[3] He held his job as a waitor until being elected to the Illinois General Assembly,[1] serving from 1887 to 1889.[4] Ecton was elected from the third district to the Illinois House of Representatives, and replaced John W. E. Thomas, Illinois' first black state representative.[5] He introduced legislation that protected former slaves. After his term, he became owner of a baseball league.[4] He continued to be a leader in Chicago Republican politics into the 1910s.[6]
In Chicago, he was a member of Bethesda Baptist Church and was a
References
- ^ a b c d Simmons, William J.; Turner, Henry McNeal (1887), Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising, GM Rewell & Company, pp. 358–360, archived from the original on July 8, 2018
- ^ "The Candidates". Chicago Inter Ocean. October 31, 1886. p. 6. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ a b c Smith, Gerald L., Karen Cotton McDaniel, and John A. Hardin, eds. The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky, 2015. p161
- ^ a b Williams, Erma Brooks. Political Empowerment of Illinois' African-American State Lawmakers from 1877 to 2005. University Press of America, 2008. p3
- ^ Jones, David A. (2012), From Slave to State Legislator: John WE Thomas, Illinois' First African American Lawmaker, SIU Press, pp. 158–163
- ^ Special Announcement, Broad Ax (Chicago, Illinois), Saturday, August 3, 1918, Page: 3
- ^ "University of Kentucky Libraries-Notable Kentucky African-Americans Database".