Herbert Arlene (September 5, 1914 – November 9, 1989) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic 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 3rd district from 1967 until 1980. He was the first

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 ...

elected to the Pennsylvania Senate. 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 the Philadelphia County district from 1959 to 1966.

Early life

Arlene was born in

Harrison, Georgia Harrison is a town in Washington County, Georgia, United States. The population was 489 at the 2010 census. History The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the place as the Town of Harrison in 1886. The community was named after Green B. Harris ...

to Elbert and Mattie King Arlene. He graduated from the Philadelphia public schools, Philadelphia Business College and received an honorary L.L.D. from Miller College.

Career

He was the owner of Arlene's Tailor Shop and a member of the board of trustees of Lincoln University, the board of directors of the Greater Philadelphia Development Corporation, the Bearean Institute, Hospital Authority of Philadelphia. He served as Ward Leader for the 47th Ward in Philadelphia and as a member of the

from 1956 to 1966 and as a member of the

for the 3rd district from 1967 to 1980. He died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is interred at the Rolling Green Cemetery in

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 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arlene, Herbert 1914 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American politicians African-American state legislators in Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators Politicians from Philadelphia 20th-century African-American politicians African-American men in politics