![David Augustus Straker](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/David_Augustus_Straker.jpg)
D. Augustus Straker (born 1842) was an American teacher, lawyer, and
jurist. He won elections to the South Carolina legislature but was denied his seat on multiple occasions.
Early life and education
David Augustus Straker was born in
Bridgetown, Barbados in 1842 to John and Margaret Straker. His father died when he was eleven months old and he was raised by his mother. He attended the Dame School until he was eleven, then had a private tutor for two years before entering the Central Public School of the Island led by Robert P. Elliott. He started to learn the tailor's trade, but did not enjoy it and withdrew, instead taking instruction in French and Latin under Rev. Joseph N. Durant and in education by
R. R. Rawle at
Codrington College
Codrington College is an Anglican theological college in St. John, Barbados now affiliated with the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill. It is one of the oldest Anglican theological colleges in the Americas. It was affiliated to the Un ...
. At the age of seventeen he was appointed principal of St. Mary's School and worked as a school teacher at St. Amis' School and St. Giles' School.
In 1866, Rev.
Benjamin B. Smith, Episcopal Bishop of the Protestant Church of America, asked Rawle if there were any black people who would agree to emigrate to the United States to teach former slaves, and Straker volunteered. Straker began teaching in Louisville, Kentucky in schools set up by the Episcopal Church and the Freedmen's Bureau. He also began to prepare to become a minister, but did not pursue that career. In 1870, Straker was induced to enroll in
Howard University
Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...
Law School by
John M. Langston, and he graduated in June 1871. While a student he worked as stenographer for
Freedmen's Bureau head
Oliver O. Howard. He also took a position as teacher at Howard in the Normal and Preparatory Department. He held a LL. B. degree from Howard University and a LL. D. from
Selma University.
[Simmons, William J., and Henry McNeal Turner. Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. GM Rewell & Company, 1887. p744-751]
In September 1871 he married Ann Carey, daughter of Thomas and Julia Carey, in
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
.
Political career
In 1871 he was appointed clerk in the auditor's office of the
United States Treasury Department
The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...
in
Washington, DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
where he remained until 1875. He then took a position as Inspector of Customs at the port of
Charleston, South Carolina. In 1876 he began practicing law in
Orangeburg County, South Carolina
Orangeburg County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 92,501. Its county seat is Orangeburg. The county was created in 1769.
Orangeburg County comprises the Orangeburg, SC Micro ...
, and was elected to the
South Carolina House of Representatives
The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections.
Unlike many legislatures, seati ...
as a Republican. In that election, incumbent Republican governor
Daniel Henry Chamberlain and Democratic candidate
Wade Hampton III
Wade Hampton III (March 28, 1818April 11, 1902) was an American military officer who served the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War and later a politician from South Carolina. He came from a wealthy planter family, and ...
both claimed victory and established separate governments. Eventually Chamberlain conceded and numerous Republican legislators including Straker were removed from the government. Straker was reelected in 1877 and 1878, but denied his seat both years.
In 1878 he formed a law partnership with
Robert B. Elliott and
T. McCants Stewart. Elliot was an agent of the Treasury Department and Straker was appointed special Inspector of Customs in Elliott's office. His political career would diminish, but in 1884 he was nominated Lieutenant-Governor at the Republican State Convention, but the ticket was abandoned. He was highly respected and befriended numerous important Republicans. He,
George T. Downing, and
James Wormley were the sole three black men who were with
Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner (January 6, 1811March 11, 1874) was an American statesman and United States Senator from Massachusetts. As an academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the anti-slavery forces in the state and a leader of th ...
at Sumner's death in 1874.
Law career
In 1882, Straker became dean and law professor at
Allen University
Allen University is a private historically black university in Columbia, South Carolina. It has more than 600 students and still serves a predominantly Black constituency. The campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as All ...
in
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-largest ...
. He had become a well respected lawyer and had appeared in several important cases. A particular case was the defense of James Coleman, who was accused of Murder. R. G. Bonham represented the state, and Straker and Coleman won the case with an insanity plea. He also won two cases against the Bethel A.M.E. church, one regarding a property issue, and the other in support of the minister in dispute with a part of the congregation. In his law work, he worked with
J. W. Morris, who would be elected president of Allen University in 1885.
Straker also took part in numerous educational conventions and played an important role in the colored department of the 1884
World Cotton Centennial
The World Cotton Centennial (also known as the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition) was a World's Fair held in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States in 1884. At a time when nearly one third of all cotton produced in the United Sta ...
in New Orleans. He also was a noted speaker and wrote a number of articles for religious journals, particularly the ''
A. M. E. Review''.
Michigan
In 1885 he visited Detroit, Michigan where he was well received and gave a number of speeches.
He later moved to
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, Michigan, where he became the first black lawyer to appear before the
Michigan Supreme Court
The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the sta ...
. In 1890, in the case Ferguson v. Gies, Straker argued that the doctrine of "separate but equal" was unconstitutional according to Michigan law. In the 1890s, Straker worked with
Robert Pelham Jr. to create branches of the
National Afro-American League
The National Afro-American League was formed on January 25, 1890, by Timothy Thomas Fortune. Preceding the foundation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the organization dedicated itself to racial solidarity ...
in Michigan and the pair were active, in part through the league, in supporting blacks in legal trouble.
Straker was one of the 56 prominent Detroit residents invited to contribute a letter to the
Detroit Century Box
The Detroit Century Box is a time capsule that was created in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan on December 31, 1900. Mayor William C. Maybury organized the capsule which consists of a copper box filled with photos and letters containing the t ...
, a
time capsule
A time capsule is a historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy relics dates ...
organized by then-mayor
William C. Maybury and sealed on December 31, 1900.
"Future Friday: Century Box Prophecies"
Detroit Historical Society. Retrieved August 13, 2013 It was opened on December 31, 2000.
See also
* List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Michigan
This is a list of the first minority male lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Michigan. It includes the year in which the men were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are men who achieved other distinctions such becoming the first in the ...
References
Further reading
*Dorothy Drinkard Hawkshawe, “David Augustus Straker, Black Lawyer and Reconstruction Politician, 1842-1908" (PhD Diss., Catholic University of American, 1974).
{{DEFAULTSORT:STRAKER, D. AUGUSTUS
19th-century African-American lawyers
19th-century American lawyers
American lawyers
Howard University alumni
Selma University alumni
Barbadian emigrants to the United States
People from Bridgetown
1842 births
Year of death missing
Colony of Barbados people