Freeman Hankins (September 30, 1917 – December 31, 1988) was an American politician and funeral director who served as a member of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

for the 7th district from 1969 to 1988. He also served in the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

for Philadelphia county from 1961 to 1968. He was a Democrat.

Early life and education

Hankins was born in

Brunswick, Georgia Brunswick () is a city in and the county seat of Glynn County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As the primary urban and economic center of the lower southeast portion of Georgia, it is the second-largest urban area on the Georgia coastline after Sa ...

to Oliver and Anna Pyles Hankins. He was African-American. He attended the Friendship School in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 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 ...

, the Selden Institute, and

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

. He graduated from Dolan's College of Embalming in 1945.

Career

Hankins served in the Medical Corps from 1944 to 1947 and began a career as a funeral director. He served on the Democratic Committee of Philadelphia's 6th ward and as vice-chairman of Philadelphia's Democratic Committee. He served as a trustee of Lincoln University and the Stephen Smith Geriatric Center. He died at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in 1988 and is interred at the Fernwood Cemetery in Yeadon, Pennsylvania.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hankins, Freeman 1917 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American politicians African-American state legislators in Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives People from Brunswick, Georgia Politicians from Philadelphia Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators Burials at Fernwood Cemetery (Lansdowne, Pennsylvania) 20th-century African-American politicians African-American men in politics United States Army personnel of World War II