"FIRST COLORED MEMBER IN QUARTER CENTURY ELECTED TO CONGRESS. FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1901, A COLORED MAN AGAIN OCCUPIES THE POSITION OF A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AT WASHINGTON, WHEN REPRESENTATIVE OSCAR DE PRIEST, OF CHICAGO ASSUMED HIS DUTIES AT THE CAPITOL TODAY. PHOTO SHOWS REPRESENTATIVE DE PRIEST AT HIS DESK IN THE HOUSE OFF ICE BUILDING"
Washington: Photo by Underwood and Underwood, 1929. Photograph, oblong 6-1/2" x 8-1/2." Dated April 15, 1929, with typed caption by Underwood and Underwood on paper affixed to the photo, with the Underwood logo. Rubberstamped on verso by Underwood firm, with warning not to alter the credit line. Near Fine.
De Priest [1871-1951], born in Alabama, was the son of former slaves. "Sometime in the late 1880s DePriest moved to Chicago, Illinois where he found work as a house painter and decorator. DePriest created his own contracting business and became active in local civic affairs. DePriest's organizational skills and his affable and engaging personality caught the eye of Republican Party leaders who eventually nominated him for Cook County commissioner in 1904. He won the election and served two terms in this position.
"While in office DePriest worked as a real estate broker and amassed considerable wealth by moving black families into previously all-white neighborhoods, a practice later known as blockbusting. He also continued to rise in Republican Party politics and in 1915 he became Chicago's first black alderman.
"DePriest soon became known as an avid defender of black civil rights and a progressive on labor issues. He also developed a reputation as a corrupt politician. In 1917 he was indicted for bribery and accused of protecting South Side gamblers. DePriest, however, was acquitted at his trial. For the next decade, he would continue to run for public office with varying degrees of success. Finally, in 1928 DePriest was elected to represent the First Congressional District of Illinois. He became the first African American Congressman since North Carolina's George H. White left Washington, D.C. in 1901 and the first black congressman ever elected outside the South. As the sole early 20th Century black Congressman, DePriest soon became a political symbol for much of African America" ["Oscar DePriest (1871-1951)" by Elwood Watson, January 19, 2007, Black Past website, accessed January 12, 2026].
The absence of African American Congressman in the early 20th century indicates the success of Southern efforts to defeat the results of the War and Reconstruction. Item #41601
Price: $750.00