William Webb Ferguson (May 22, 1857 – March 30, 1910) was the first African-American man elected to the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

Early life

Ferguson was born in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, to Joseph and Martha Ferguson. His father, Joseph Ferguson, was a doctor. In 1876, Ferguson graduated with honors from Detroit High School as the first African-American child to attend public high school in Detroit. In 1883, he founded the Ferguson Printing Company.

Personal life

Ferguson married Emma Virginia Pelham who born in

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

, on August 20, 1878. Together, they had three children, Mattie, who died at the age of two, and Meta and Norine, who lived into adulthood.

State supreme court case

After discrimination faced in a restaurant on August 15, 1889, Ferguson sued the restaurant manager, Edward G. Gies, in Wayne County Circuit Court. After losing this case, he appealed it to the

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the state ...

in 1890 and won, the first case of racial discrimination in the state of Michigan.

Political career

Ferguson was sworn in as member of the Michigan House of Representatives from Wayne County 1st district on January 4, 1893. He served until December 31, 1896. Ferguson was a member of the Republican Party.

Death

Ferguson died on March 30, 1910, in Detroit. He was interred on April 2, 1910, at the Elmwood Cemetery.

Legacy

On February 28, 2018, a portrait of Ferguson painted by Joshua Adam Risner was unveiled at the

Michigan State Capitol The Michigan State Capitol is the building that houses the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the portion of the state capital of Lansing which lies in Ingham County. The present structure, at the interse ...

by the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus due to a bill introduced by State Representative

Sheldon Neeley Sheldon A. Neeley (born September 20, 1968) is an American politician, currently serving as the Mayor of Flint, Michigan. He was elected as Flint’s mayor in 2019 and served an abbreviated three-year term before being re-elected in 2022. Neeley ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, William Webb 1857 births 1910 deaths African-American state legislators in Michigan Politicians from Detroit African-American history in Detroit Burials at Elmwood Cemetery (Detroit) Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives African-American men in politics 19th-century American politicians 20th-century African-American people