John C. Asbury
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John Cornelius Asbury (April 9, 1862 – September 8, 1941) was an American lawyer and state legislator in Pennsylvania. A Republican, he served two terms 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 ...
in the 1920s and sponsored civil rights bills.


Formative years and family

A brother of Isaac E. Asbury, John C. Asbury studied at Washington and Jefferson College and received a law degree from Howard University in 1885. He married Kate E. Allen in 1886. After she died in 1898, he married Ida Elizabeth Bowser in 1901. Their son was David Bowser Asbury.


Career

Early in his career, he served as a Commonwealth's Attorney (similar to
District 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 l ...
) in Norfolk County, Virginia from 1887 to 1891. He later moved to
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, Pennsylvania, where he practiced law. He was appointed to serve as assistant city solicitor in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
from 1916 to 1920. He 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 ...
from 1921 to 1924. He authored civil rights bills in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and founded Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Pennsylvania for African Americans. He did not run for a third term in 1924. From 1928 to 1932, he served as the assistant district attorney of Philadelphia. Then, he served as the deputy auditor general in the office of the Pennsylvania Auditor General from 1932 to 1937. He supported Downingtown Industrial School and Mercy Hospital.


See also

*
List of African-American officeholders (1900–1959) The following is a list of African-American holders of public office from 1900 to 1959. This period saw setbacks for African Americans following the Reconstruction era after "Redeemer" Democrats retook control of the South and restored white supre ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asbury, John Cornelius Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives 20th-century African-American politicians 20th-century American legislators 20th-century African-American lawyers Washington & Jefferson College alumni Howard University School of Law alumni Pennsylvania lawyers 1862 births 1941 deaths African-American state legislators in Pennsylvania African-American men in politics Politicians from Philadelphia Politicians from Washington County, Pennsylvania Lawyers from Philadelphia Politicians from Norfolk, Virginia 20th-century Pennsylvania politicians