Ferdinand Lee Barnett (February 18, 1852 – March 11, 1936) was an American journalist, lawyer, and civil rights activist in
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, beginning in the late
Reconstruction era
The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...
.
Born in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, as a child he fled with his family to
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...
, Canada, just before the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. After the war, they settled in Chicago, where Barnett graduated from high school, and then obtained his law degree from what is today
Northwestern University School of Law
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is the law school of Northwestern University, a private research university. It is located on the university's Chicago campus. Northwestern Law has been ranked among the top 14, or "T14" law scho ...
. He was a founding editor of the
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
oriented ''
The Chicago Conservator
''The Chicago Conservator'' was an American newspaper. Founded by attorney Ferdinand Barnett in 1878, it was the first African-American newspaper in Chicago.
History
Barnett founded the newspaper in 1878 and served as co-editor with R. P. Bird. ...
'' monthly in 1878. The third black person to be admitted to the practice of law in
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, he also became a successful lawyer.
In 1895, Barnett married
Ida B. Wells
Ida B. Wells (full name: Ida Bell Wells-Barnett) (July 16, 1862 – March 25, 1931) was an American investigative journalist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for ...
, a journalist and anti-lynching activist. In 1896, Barnett became Illinois' first black assistant
state's attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...
. He was active in anti-lynching and civil rights causes and was called "one of the foremost citizens Chicago has ever had" by the ''
Chicago Defender
''The Chicago Defender'' is a Chicago-based online African-American newspaper. It was founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott and was once considered the "most important" newspaper of its kind. Abbott's newspaper reported and campaigned against Jim ...
''.
[Finkelman, Paul, ed. ''Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present: From the Age of Segregation to the Twenty-first Century''. Oxford University Press, 2009. pp. 137–138.]
Early life
Ferdinand Lee Barnett was born in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, in 1852.
His mother was a freewoman,
["Negro Elected to Judgeship"](_blank)
''San Francisco Chronicle'' (San Francisco, California) December 17, 1906, p. 3. Accessed September 16, 2016. Martha Brooks, born about 1825. His father, also named Ferdinand Lee Barnett, was born in Nashville about 1810 and worked as a blacksmith. He purchased his family's freedom the year Ferdinand was born. They lived in Nashville until about 1859, when they left the United States and moved to
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...
, across the Detroit River from
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 th ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
.
["Golden Wedding of Colored Couple"](_blank)
''Chicago Daily Tribune'' (Chicago, Illinois), June 28, 1897, p. 5. Accessed September 16, 2016. They wanted to avoid the reach of the
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Act or Fugitive Slave Law was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern interests in slavery and Northern Free-Soilers.
The Act was one of the most co ...
, which had created incentives for slave catchers to kidnap free blacks and sell them into slavery.
The Barnett family returned to the US in 1869 after the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
and the end of slavery, settling in
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, coordinates =
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, subdivision_name ...
. Ferdinand was educated in Chicago schools,
first attending the old Jones school at Clark and Harrison. He entered
Central High School,
graduating in 1874. After high school, he taught in the southern United States for two years before returning to Chicago to attend Union College of Law, now
Northwestern Law School
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is the law school of Northwestern University, a private research university. It is located on the university's Chicago campus. Northwestern Law has been ranked among the top 14, or "T14" law sch ...
. Barnett graduated from law school and was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1878.
He was the third black person to pass the Illinois bar, following
Lloyd G. Wheeler and
Richard A. Dawson
Richard A. Dawson (1848 - 1906) was a lawyer and state legislator in Arkansas. He was born in Virginia and his father was a minister. Dawson studied at Oberlin College, and received his law degree from the Old University of Chicago. Dawson practic ...
.
Numbered among his cousins were
Ferdinand L. Barnett and his brother
Alfred S. Barnett. They were also journalists and lived in
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
, and
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...
, respectively.
Barnett's father died in early February 1898. His mother died on November 11, 1908.
''Conservator'' and early activism
In December 1877, Barnett, along with co-editors Abram T. Hall, Jr. and James E. Henderson, organized the semi-monthly newspaper, the ''Conservator'', the first edition appearing on January 1, 1878. Also among the editors and stakeholders was Iowan
Alexander Clark
Alexander G. Clark (February 25, 1826 – May 31, 1891) was an African-American businessman and activist who served as United States Ambassador to Liberia in 1890-1891, where he died in office. Clark is notable for suing in 1867 to gain admission ...
. He moved to Chicago in 1884, where he served as an editor on the paper. (Clark was appointed as US ambassador to Liberia in 1891.)
[Connie Street]
"Black history pioneer: Alexander Clark became prominent achiever while residing in Muscatine"
''Muscatine Journal'', 24 February 2006.
The ''Conservator'' was a radical journal that focused on justice and equal rights, and Barnett was soon recognized as a local black leader. He was selected as a delegate to the
May 1879 National Conference of Colored Men in Nashville, where he gave a noted speech calling for unity and education.
He was a delegate to the 1884 Inter-State Conference of Colored Men in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, and the national convention of the
Timothy Thomas Fortune
Timothy Thomas Fortune (October 3, 1856June 2, 1928) was an orator, civil rights leader, journalist, writer, editor and publisher. He was the highly influential editor of the nation's leading black newspaper ''The New York Age'' and was the leadin ...
led
Afro-American League in Chicago in 1890 where he was named secretary.
Legal and political career
Barnett started practicing law around 1883.
His prominence grew quickly and in 1888 he was considered for a Republican nomination for
Cook County Commissioner
The Cook County Board of Commissioners is a legislative body made up of 17 commissioners who are elected by district, and a president who is elected county-wide, all for four-year terms. Cook County, which includes the City of Chicago, is the Uni ...
. In 1892, he started a law partnership with
S. Laing Williams. The pair split over Williams' affiliation with
Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...
, whom Barnett frequently opposed.
Ida B. Wells
![Cover Southern horrors](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Cover_Southern_horrors.png)
In 1892, three men, including a friend of
Ida B. Wells
Ida B. Wells (full name: Ida Bell Wells-Barnett) (July 16, 1862 – March 25, 1931) was an American investigative journalist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for ...
, were
lynched
Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...
by a white mob while in police custody in
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
, in an event known as the
Peoples Grocery lynching. The act sparked a national outcry and Barnett took part in meetings in Chicago called to organize reaction. At a meeting of one thousand people at Bethel A. M. E. Church, Reverend W. Gaines' call for the crowd to sing the then ''de facto'' national anthem, "
My Country, 'Tis of Thee
"America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)" is an American patriotic song, the lyrics of which were written by Samuel Francis Smith. The song served as one of the ''de facto'' national anthems of the United States (along with songs like "Hail, Columb ...
", but the call was refused, one member of the audience declaring, "I don't want to sing that song until this country is what it claims to be, 'sweet land of liberty'".
[ Gaines substituted the Civil War-era song about the abolitionist martyr, "]John Brown's Body
"John Brown's Body" (originally known as "John Brown's Song") is a United States marching song about the abolitionist John Brown. The song was popular in the Union during the American Civil War. The tune arose out of the folk hymn tradition o ...
". Barnett closed the meeting appealing for a calm and careful response, but also expressing great frustration and concern that the violence against blacks may one day lead to reprisals.["Wouldn't Sing America"]
''The Evening World'' (New York, New York), March 28, 1892, p. 3. Accessed September 16, 2016,
The event inspired Wells, who began to research and speak out against lynchings. In 1893, Wells sued the '' Memphis Commercial'' for libel when the journal attacked Wells over her reports on the racism and injustice of lynching. It had been claimed that lynching, while not legal, was a natural result of the need for revenge of a community against perpetrators of violent crime and did not single out blacks. Wells' work showed the falseness of this narrative. Wells asked lawyer and activist Albion W. Tourgee to represent her on the case, but Tourgee refused, having largely retired from law (with the exception of his ongoing support of the case which would become Plessy v Fergusson). Tourgee recommended Wells contact Barnett, and Barnett agreed to take the case. This may have been Barnett's introduction to Wells, whom he would marry two years later. However, Barnett came to agree with the advice of Tourgee that the case could not be won, as a black woman would never win such a case heard by a white, male jury, and the case was dropped.
World's Fair
In 1893, Barnett coauthored a pamphlet entitled "The Reason Why the Colored American is not in the World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordi ...
– The Afro-American's Contribution to Columbian Literature". The exposition, held in Chicago, refused to include an African-American exhibit. The pamphlet was another early example of Barnett's personal and professional relationship with Wells. The pamphlet was published by Barnett, Wells, abolitionist Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...
, and educator Irvine Garland Penn
Irvine Garland Penn (October 7, 1867 – July 22, 1930) was an educator, journalist, and lay leader in the Methodist Episcopal church in the United States. He was the author of ''The Afro-American Press and Its Editors'', published in 1891, and a ...
. The exhibition included many exhibits put on by individuals and approved by white organizers of the fair, including exhibits by the sculptor Edmonia Lewis
Mary Edmonia Lewis, also known as "Wildfire" (c. July 4, 1844 – September 17, 1907), was an American sculptor, of mixed African-American and Native American ( Mississauga Ojibwe) heritage. Born free in Upstate New York, she worked for most of ...
, a painting exhibit by scientist George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver ( 1864 – January 5, 1943) was an American agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent black scientists of the ea ...
and a statistical exhibit by John Imogen Howard. It also included blacks in white exhibits, such as Nancy Green
Nancy Green (March 4, 1834 – August 30, 1923) was an American former enslaved woman, nanny, cook, activist, and the first of many African-American models and performers hired to promote a corporate trademark as "Aunt Jemima". The famous Aunt J ...
's portrayal of the character "Aunt Jemima
Pearl Milling Company (formerly known as Aunt Jemima from 1889 to 2021) is an American breakfast brand for pancake mix, syrup, and other breakfast food products. The original version of the pancake mix for the brand was developed in 1888–188 ...
" for the R. T. Davis Milling Company.
Marriages and family
Barnett's first wife, Mary Henrietta Graham Barnett, was the first black woman to graduate from the University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
in 1876.[Bay, Mia. ''To Tell the Truth Freely: The Life of Ida B. Wells''. Macmillan, 2009.] Mary and Ferdinand had two children, Ferdinand Lee and Albert Graham Barnett. Mary died in 1890 of heart disease. The younger Ferdinand Barnett served as Eighth Regiment
Eighth is ordinal form of the number eight.
Eighth may refer to:
* One eighth, or ⅛, a fraction, one of eight equal parts of a whole
* Eighth note (quaver), a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet)
* Octave, an int ...
supply sergeant in World War I.["Breaking Home Ties"](_blank)
''The Broad Ax'' (Salt Lake City, Utah) December 22, 1917, p. 14. Accessed September 16, 2016. Albert Barnett became the city editor of the ''Defender'' in Chicago.
Wells remained in Chicago after the Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...
. In June 1895, she and Barnett married. The couple had four children, Charles Aked (1896), Herman Kohlsaat (1897), Ida B. (1901), and Alfreda M. Barnett (later Alfreda Duster
Alfreda M. Duster (née Barnett; September 3, 1904 April 2, 1983) was a social worker and civic leader in Chicago. She is best known as the youngest daughter of civil rights activist Ida B. Wells and as the editor of her mother's posthumously publ ...
) (1904). Charles was named for the English anti-lynching activist Charles Aked, and Herman was named for the owner of the ''Chicago Inter Ocean'', Herman Kohlsaat, who supported the ''Conservator''. Barnett's attraction to Wells included his recognition of the mutual support for each other's careers that the relationship would bring. Shortly before their marriage, Wells purchased Barnett's stake in the ''Conservator'' and became the paper's manager and co-editor, while Barnett focused on his legal career. Reverend Richard DeBaptiste
Richard DeBaptiste (November 11, 1831 - April 21, 1901) was a Baptist minister in Chicago, Illinois. Before the abolition of slavery, he was an abolitionist and worked with his close relative, George DeBaptiste in the Underground Railroad, mainl ...
, founder of Olivet Baptist Church, was co-editor after Barnett.
Later career
Barnett was an active Republican, and his support for the party put him in line for public office. In 1896, he was put in charge of the bureau of information and education for blacks by the Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...
.
Also in 1896, Barnett became the first black assistant state's attorney in Illinois, appointed by the state's attorney Charles S. Deneen
Charles Samuel Deneen (May 4, 1863 – February 5, 1940) was an American lawyer and Republican politician who served as the 23rd Governor of Illinois, from 1905 to 1913. He was the first Illinois governor to serve two consecutive terms totalli ...
upon the recommendation of the Cook County Commissioner Edward H. Wright. As assistant state's attorney, Barnett worked in the juvenile court, in antitrust cases, and in habeas corpus
''Habeas corpus'' (; from Medieval Latin, ) is a recourse in law through which a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment to a court and request that the court order the custodian of the person, usually a prison official, t ...
and extradition proceedings. He frequently appeared before the Illinois Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...
and had a good record. In 1902, Barnett made national news when he suggested that 10 million blacks would revolt against lynch law in the South at a gathering at Bethlehem Church in Chicago. In 1904 he was appointed as head of the Chicago branch of the Republican Party's Negro Bureau. This appointment was opposed by Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...
, who preferred Barnett's former partner, S. Laing Williams.
Municipal court judgeship controversy
In 1906, Barnett was nominated as a judge in the new Municipal Court of Chicago
The Municipal Court of Chicago was the name of two municipal courts that existed at separate times in during the history of the City of Chicago.
Municipal Court of Chicago (1837–1839)
The first Municipal Court of Chicago was formed in 1837 by ...
, the first black candidate for a judgeship in Illinois. Barnett lost the election by 304 votes due to a lack of support by white and black Republicans. In the campaign for the position, Barnett did not gain the full support of black ministers, particularly Archibald J. Cary. They were angry that his wife Ida B. Wells supported gambling kingpin Bob Motts's Pekin Theatre
Established on June 18, 1905, Chicago’s Pekin Theatre was the first black owned musical and vaudeville stock theatre in the United States. Between 1905 and around 1915, the Pekin Club and its Pekin Theatre served as a training ground and showca ...
– which was converted from a saloon. Barnett was initially declared winner, but the results were reviewed and Barnett became the only one of 27 Republican candidates rejected.[Reed, Christopher Robert. ''Knock at the Door of Opportunity: Black Migration to Chicago, 1900–1919''. SIU Press, 2014, pp. 191, 289.] If he had been elected, Barnett would have been the second black judge in a court of record after Robert Heberton Terrell
Robert Heberton Terrell (November 27, 1857 – December 20, 1925) was an attorney and the second African American to serve as a justice of the peace in Washington, DC. In 1911 he was appointed as a judge to the District of Columbia Municipal Cou ...
of Washington, D.C.
![FL Barnett 1918](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/FL_Barnett_1918.png)
Return to private practice and death
Barnett left the position of assistant state's attorney in 1910, turning to private practice where he advocated for African-American rights. He often worked ''pro bono'', focusing on employment discrimination and criminal cases. In 1917, he was a candidate for alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...
of the second ward in Chicago.[F. L. Barnett]
"Candidate for Alderman"
''The Broad Ax'' (Salt Lake City, Utah), February 24, 1917, p. 4. Accessed September 16, 2016. His most best remembered case was the defense with attorneys Robert M. McMurdy and Cowen of "Chicken Joe" Campbell. Although Campbell was convicted for the murder of Odelle B. Allen, his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by Governor Frank O. Lowden
Frank Orren Lowden (January 26, 1861 – March 20, 1943) was an American Republican Party politician who served as the 25th Governor of Illinois and as a United States Representative from Illinois. He was also a candidate for the Republican pres ...
on April 12, 1918.
In the 1920s, Barnett and his wife supported Marcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African ...
and the Universal Negro Improvement Association
The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) is a black nationalist fraternal organization founded by Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican immigrant to the United States, and Amy Ashwood Garvey. The Pan-Africa ...
. In the 1920s and 1930s, Barnett began to support the Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
.
Barnett died on March 11, 1936. He was buried alongside Ida B. Wells at Oak Woods Cemetery
Oak Woods Cemetery is a large lawn cemetery in Chicago, Illinois. Located at 1035 E. 67th Street, in the Greater Grand Crossing area of Chicago's South Side. Established on February 12, 1853, it covers .
Oak Woods is the final resting place o ...
in Chicago.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnett, Ferdinand Lee
1852 births
1936 deaths
20th-century African-American people
Activists for African-American civil rights
African-American journalists
African-American lawyers
American anti-lynching activists
Illinois Democrats
Illinois Republicans
Journalists from Illinois
Journalists from Tennessee
Lawyers from Chicago
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni
People from Nashville, Tennessee
Tennessee Democrats
Tennessee lawyers
Tennessee Republicans