Adelbert H. Roberts (August 20, 1866 – January 26, 1937) was an American politician who in 1924 became the first

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 ...

to serve in the Illinois Senate.

Biography

Roberts was born August 20, 1866, in

Decatur, Michigan Decatur is a village in Van Buren County, Michigan, United States. The population was 1,819 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Decatur Township. History Decatur Township and the Village of Decatur are named after Stephen Decatu ...

. He graduated from high school at 17 and became a teacher. He then chose to take Ph.D. coursework at

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

before attending

Northwestern University School of Law Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is the law school of Northwestern University, a private research university. It is located on the university's Chicago campus. Northwestern Law has been ranked among the top 14, or "T14" law s ...

. In 1895, he married Lula Wiley with whom he would have four children. In 1918, Roberts was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives 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 ...

. After the

Chicago race riot of 1919 The Chicago race riot of 1919 was a violent racial conflict between white Americans and black Americans that began on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, on July 27 and ended on August 3, 1919. During the riot, 38 people died (23 black and ...

, Governor Frank Orren Lowden's appointed Roberts to the

Chicago Commission on Race Relations The Chicago Commission on Race Relations was a non-partisan, interracial investigative committee, appointed by Illinois governor Frank Lowden. The commission was set up after the Chicago riots of July and August 1919 in "which thirty-eight lives ...

created in response to the incident. He was appointed to the Illinois Senate in 1924 to fill a vacancy and elected to the Senate in 1926 and 1930. During his tenure, he was a resident of the

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...

community area.''Illinois Blue Book 1933-1934''
page 121 Roberts died January 26, 1937, in Chicago. He was survived by Lula and two of his sons. In 1984, Senator Margaret Smith and Representative Howard B. Brookins Sr. successfully campaigned to have a statue of Roberts installed in the Capitol rotunda.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Adelbert H. 1866 births 1937 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians African-American state legislators in Illinois Illinois lawyers Republican Party Illinois state senators Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Monmouth College alumni People from Van Buren County, Michigan Politicians from Chicago University of Michigan alumni 20th-century African-American politicians African-American men in politics Burials in Illinois