Isaac Newton Coggs (June 5, 1920 – April 8, 1973) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Democratic politician and

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

leader from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. Coggs was the second

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

State Representative to Chair a Wisconsin Legislative committee (the first being LeRoy J. Simmons, 1945-1952). He was the first African American member of the

Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors is the legislative branch of the government of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Supervisors are elected to the board in nonpartisan elections. There are 18 supervisors. The county board has sev ...

Early life and career

Born in

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the thirteenth-largest city in Oklahoma and the county seat of Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of the 2020 census, a 6.0 percent decrease ...

, Coggs graduated from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, UW–Madison ...

and served in the

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during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Coggs was an accountant by trade, and served as President of the Northside Milwaukee Businessmen's Association, member of the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

Board,

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

, and

Disabled American Veterans The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is an organization created in 1920 by World War I veterans for disabled military veterans of the United States Armed Forces that helps them and their families through various means. It was issued a federal ch ...

. He served in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

from 1953 to 1964, and then the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors from 1964 until 1968. During his time in the legislature, Coggs served as chairman of the Assembly Public Welfare Committee, as well as a member of the Revision Committee and Civil War Centennial Committee.

Civil rights legislation

In June 1961, Coggs introduced a Humans Rights bill in the Wisconsin Assembly with two civil rights provisions: a fair housing law and a plan to reform fair employment practices. Though Wisconsin Governor

Gaylord Nelson Gaylord Anton Nelson (June 4, 1916July 3, 2005) was an American politician and environmentalist from Wisconsin who served as a United States senator and governor. He was a member of the Democratic Party and the founder of Earth Day, which launche ...

supported the bill, it was met with resistance in committee, facing amendments to defeat or weaken it. The state

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. ...

called for a protest in response to the opposition to the bill on the steps of the

Wisconsin State Capitol The Wisconsin State Capitol, located in Madison, Wisconsin, houses both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature along with the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor. Completed in 1917, the building is the fifth to serve as the Wi ...

building. Seven hundred mostly supporters participated in nonviolent protests throughout the summer. On August 11, the bill was defeated in the assembly. Coggs was disappointed by his Democratic colleagues for their rejection of his legislation, stating that, "We have a case of Dixiecrats. The Mason-Dixon line may be just south of Wisconsin Avenue." Coggs had a friendly relationship with President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

. Kennedy told Coggs that a picture of him hung in his office.Isaac N. Coggs Oral History Interview - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library

Awards and honors

In 1978, Milwaukee Health Services, Inc. rededicated one of their health centers to be known as the "Isaac Coggs Heritage Health Center." In 2017

Wisconsin Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

Joint Resolution 7, Coggs was honored for his service to the state.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coggs, Isaac N. Politicians from Muskogee, Oklahoma Politicians from Milwaukee Military personnel from Milwaukee University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni County supervisors in Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 1920 births 1973 deaths African-American history of Milwaukee African-American state legislators in Wisconsin 20th-century American politicians 20th-century African-American politicians African-American men in politics United States Army personnel of World War II