Harry W. Bass (4 November 1866 – 9 June 1917) was an American lawyer and politician who became the first African American to serve in the

Pennsylvania General Assembly The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania ...

, winning two consecutive terms in the state house in 1911 and 1913 to represent the seventh ward of Philadelphia.

Life and career

Bass was a native of

West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the 2010 census. West Chester is the mailing address for most of its neighb ...

, born on 4 November 1866. After attending local public schools, he earned a degree from Lincoln University in 1886, then studied law at Howard University before graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1896. As a law student, Bass lived in South Philadelphia and ran for 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 the first time in 1896, while affiliated with the People's Legislative Party, and lost.Alternate URL
/ref> Bass contested the 1898 elections for state representative, again as a PLP candidate, and lost for a second time. Shortly after completing his degree in law, Bass represented an African American tenant who, in 1900, had been evicted from his Bryn Mawr residence by the Methodist Episcopal Church, a church of white parishioners. Bass joined the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

and served multiple terms as an elected representative of the Republican State Committee from Philadelphia. As a Republican backed by Boies Penrose, he won two consecutive terms to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1911 and 1913, becoming the first African American member of the

. He represented the sixth district of the House, which comprised the heavily African American seventh ward of Philadelphia. In 1911–1912, he was a member of a commission convened to organize celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary of the

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Proclamation changed the legal sta ...

, and he was credited with helping the commission secure $20,000 in funding via appropriations. Bass was not a candidate for the state house during the 1915 election cycle. Appointed to serve as an assistant municipal solicitor by Philadelphia's municipal solicitor John P. Connelly in February 1916, Bass served in this role until his death, when

George Henry White George Henry White (December 18, 1852 – December 28, 1918) was an American attorney and politician, elected as a Republican U.S. Congressman from North Carolina's 2nd congressional district between 1897 and 1901. He later became a banker ...

succeeded him. Bass died on 9 June 1917 in Philadelphia of chronic interstitial nephritis, according to his death certificate. He was buried in Chestnut Grove Cemetery north of West Chester. He never married and had no issue.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bass, Harry W. 1866 births 1917 deaths 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American lawyers Lawyers from Philadelphia African-American state legislators in Pennsylvania Politicians from Philadelphia Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Howard University alumni Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) alumni University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni People from West Chester, Pennsylvania City and town attorneys in the United States 20th-century African-American politicians African-American men in politics 20th-century African-American lawyers 20th-century Pennsylvania politicians