Arthur W. St. Clair (died 1877) was an

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 ...

community leader in

Brooksville, Florida Brooksville is a city in western Florida and the county seat of Hernando County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 7,719, up from 7,264 at the 2000 census. Brooksville is home to historic buildings and residence ...

, who was murdered in 1877 by a mob days after he presided over the marriage of a black man and a white woman in the area that is now

Dade City, Florida Dade City is a city in and the county seat of Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is located in the Tampa Bay Area. The population was 6,437 at the 2010 census. Dade City is popular with tourists for its antique stores, restaurants, and h ...

. Controversy followed as efforts to investigate the white men accused of killing him were stymied. The courthouse was destroyed in a fire.Former Slave Is Sixth Great Brooksvillian
City honors the slain founder of a church and a school ''

St. Petersburg Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single ...

'' on Oct. 4, 2007 by LOGAN NEILL

Slave

St. Clair was a slave on the plantation owned by John and Marina Sanderson May (who owned much of the land around what later became the town).

Career

After the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, he was

Hernando County Hernando County is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 194,515. Its county seat is Brooksville, and its largest community is Spring Hill. Hernando County is incl ...

's first post-Civil War voter

registrar A registrar is an official keeper of records made in a register. The term may refer to: Education * Registrar (education), an official in an academic institution who handles student records * Registrar of the University of Oxford, one of the sen ...

(1867–1868).Florida's Black Public Officials, 1867-1924
by Canter Brown He submitted an affidavit to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

alleging instances of ineligible voting during the November 1876 election for State Legislature. St. Clair was a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

minister and founded Bethlehem Progressive Baptist Church. He also founded Hernando County's first school for blacks with his brother Hampton Sinclair. He was appointed by Florida's governor to lead the state's Third Brigade militia. He was a Hernando

County Commission A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

er from 1875 until 1877.Like water covered the sea
the African American freedom struggle in Florida, 1877-1920] Paul Ortiz, Duke University. Dept. of History Duke University, 2000 1194 pages page 99, 100 St. Clair was a candidate for office in the Florida State Legislature, state legislature three times as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and would have been a fourth time but was murdered two months before the election.

Death

St. Clair was murdered in 1877. The killing took place after he presided over the marriage of Dave James and Lizzie Day, an

interracial marriage Interracial marriage is a marriage involving spouses who belong to different races or racialized ethnicities. In the past, such marriages were outlawed in the United States, Nazi Germany and apartheid-era South Africa as miscegenation. In 19 ...

(

miscegenation Miscegenation ( ) is the interbreeding of people who are considered to be members of different races. The word, now usually considered pejorative, is derived from a combination of the Latin terms ''miscere'' ("to mix") and ''genus'' ("race") ...

). He was on his way back to Brooksville from the area that is now

. The county courthouse was destroyed in a fire that destroyed records including those related to the case and was followed by other obstructions of efforts seeking justice in the case.

Recognition

The Brooksville City Council named him a Great Brooksvillian in 2007, the city's sixth person designated with the honor and its first African-American so honored.

Slave

Career

Death

Recognition

See also

References

Further reading