PoliticalGraveyard.com

African ancestry Politicians in West Virginia

Daniel Webster Ambrose Jr. (1896-1992) — also known as Daniel W. Ambrose, Jr. — of Huntington, Cabell County, W.Va. Born in Pickens, Holmes County, Miss., September 8, 1896. Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army during World War I; lawyer; alternate delegate to Democratic National Convention from West Virginia, 1936, 1940, 1944, 1948. Episcopalian. African ancestry. Member, Kappa Alpha Psi; Elks; National Bar Association; American Legion; Freemasons; Shriners. Died in February, 1992 (age 95 years, 0 days). Burial location unknown.   Presumably named for: Daniel Webster   Relatives: Son of Daniel Webster Ambrose and Mary Elizabeth (Ambrose) Ambrose; married to Irene N. Miller.   Irene Cornelia Berger (b. 1954) — Born in Richlands, Tazewell County, Va., 1954. U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of West Virginia, 2009-. Female. African ancestry. Still living as of 2017.   See also federal judicial profile — Biographical Directory of Federal Judges   Homer S. Brown (b. 1896) — of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pa. Born in Huntington, Cabell County, W.Va., September 23, 1896. Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army during World War I; lawyer; member of Pennsylvania state house of representatives from Allegheny County 1st District, 1935. African ancestry. Member, NAACP; American Legion. Burial location unknown.   Relatives: Son of William R. Brown and Maira W. (Rowlette) Brown; married to Wilhelmina Byrd.   Richard Harvey Cain (1825-1887) — also known as Richard H. Cain — of Brooklyn, Kings County, N.Y.; Charleston, Charleston County, S.C. Born in Greenbrier County, Va. (now W.Va.), April 12, 1825. Republican. Delegate to South Carolina state constitutional convention from Charleston County, 1868; member of South Carolina state senate from Charleston County, 1868-70; U.S. Representative from South Carolina, 1873-75, 1877-79 (at-large 1873-75, 2nd District 1877-79); Bishop, African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1880-87. African Methodist Episcopal. African ancestry. Died in Washington, D.C., January 18, 1887 (age 61 years, 281 days). Interment at Graceland Cemetery, Washington, D.C.   See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page   Jheopart Harry Capehart (b. 1881) — of Keystone, McDowell County, W.Va. Born in Charleston, Kanawha County, W.Va., May 2, 1881. Republican. Lawyer; member of West Virginia state house of delegates from McDowell County, 1919. African ancestry. Burial location unknown.   Wilfred Lee Dickerson (b. 1909) — also known as Wilfred L. Dickerson — of Bartley, McDowell County, W.Va. Born in Laurel Creek, Fayette County, W.Va., September 18, 1909. Minister; member of West Virginia state house of delegates from McDowell County, 1967-68; defeated (Republican), 1940, 1942. African ancestry. Member, United Mine Workers. Burial location unknown.   Relatives: Son of Wilfred James Dickerson and Harriet Etta (Boone) Dickerson; married, November 3, 1933, to Eunice Turpin Kelly.   Daisy L. Elliott (1917-2015) — also known as Daisy Elizabeth Lenoir — of Detroit, Wayne County, Mich. Born in Filbert, McDowell County, W.Va., November 26, 1917. Democrat. Realtor; delegate to Michigan state constitutional convention from Wayne County 4th District, 1961-62; member of Michigan state house of representatives, 1963-78, 1981-82 (Wayne County 4th District 1963-64, 22nd District 1965-72, 8th District 1973-78, 1981-82); defeated in primary, 1950 (Wayne County 1st District), 1954 (Wayne County 11th District), 1956 (Wayne County 4th District), 1958 (Wayne County 4th District), 1960 (Wayne County 4th District), 1982 (8th District); delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1968 (alternate), 1976; co-author of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act; candidate for Michigan state senate 5th District, 1978; arrested in April 1982 for driving a stolen 1977 Cadillac deVille automobile; arraigned on a charge of receiving and concealing stolen property; she claimed she had bought the car from a dealer, but the firm had no record of this, and the document she presented had been faked; lost renomination as State Representatve in August 1982, while under indictment; convicted in November 1982 and sentenced to 60 days in jail. Female. African ancestry. Member, NAACP; League of Women Voters; Junior League. Died, in DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital, Detroit, Wayne County, Mich., December 22, 2015 (age 98 years, 26 days). Interment at Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit, Mich.   Relatives: Daughter of Robert Lenoir and Daisy (Dorm) Lenoir.   The Elliott-Larsen Building (housing state offices; built 1919-21; burned 1951 and rebuilt; previously named for Lewis Cass; given present name in 2020), in Lansing, Michigan, is partly named for her.   See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial Gurnett Edinburgh Ferguson (1888-1982) — also known as G. E. Ferguson — of Charleston, Kanawha County, W.Va. Born in Fayette County, W.Va., October 17, 1888. Republican. Served in the U.S. Army during World War I; school teacher; real estate business; hotelier; director, West Virginia Bureau of Negro Welfare and Statistics; alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from West Virginia, 1940, 1948; candidate for West Virginia state house of delegates from Kanawha County, 1942. African ancestry. Member, Freemasons; Shriners. Died December 26, 1982 (age 94 years, 70 days). Burial location unknown.   Relatives: Son of Daniel F. Ferguson and Elizabeth (Eddens) Ferguson; married, August 27, 1914, to Lilly A. Foster.   Image source: West Virginia Blue Book 1929   Tyler Edward Hill (b. 1883) — also known as T. Edward Hill — of Keystone, McDowell County, W.Va. Born near Martinsville, Henry County, Va., April 23, 1883. Republican. Lawyer; alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from West Virginia, 1916, 1920, 1924; member of West Virginia state house of delegates from McDowell County; elected 1928. African ancestry. Burial location unknown.   J. Ruppert Jefferson — of Parkersburg, Wood County, W.Va. Republican. Alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from West Virginia, 1932; member of West Virginia Republican State Executive Committee, 1937. African ancestry. Burial location unknown.   Fleming Adolphus Jones Jr. (b. 1895) — also known as Fleming A. Jones, Jr. — of Welch, McDowell County, W.Va. Born in Gaffney, Cherokee County, S.C., October 10, 1895. Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army during World War I; lawyer; member of West Virginia state house of delegates from McDowell County, 1935-42, 1945-48; alternate delegate to Democratic National Convention from West Virginia, 1952. Baptist. African ancestry. Member, Freemasons; Shriners; Odd Fellows; Elks; Phi Beta Sigma; American Legion. First Black Democratic member of West Virginia House of Delegates. Burial location unknown.   Relatives: Son of Felix Jones and Emeline (Young) Jones; married, June 15, 1921, to H. Preston Mills.   Leon P. Miller — of Welch, McDowell County, W.Va. Republican. Member of West Virginia Republican State Executive Committee, 1937, 1949; alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from West Virginia, 1952. African ancestry. Presumed deceased. Burial location unknown.   Charles Edward Mitchell (1870-1937) — also known as Charles E. Mitchell — of Institute, Kanawha County, W.Va.; Manhattan, New York County, N.Y. Born in St. Michaels, Talbot County, Md., May 30, 1870. Republican. Business manager, West Virginia State College, 1904-31; president, Mutual Savings and Loan Company of Charleston, 1920-31; member of West Virginia Republican State Committee, 1921-29; U.S. Minister to Liberia, 1930-33; U.S. Consul General in Monrovia, as of 1932; member of New York Republican State Committee, 1937. African ancestry. Died, from an embolism which developed after surgery, in Harlem Hospital, Manhattan, New York County, N.Y., March 29, 1937 (age 66 years, 303 days). Burial location unknown.   Relatives: Son of Edward Mitchell; married 1905 to Elizabeth Murray; grandnephew of Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey Douglass.   See also U.S. State Dept career summary   Clifton Moore — also known as Clif Moore — of Thorpe, McDowell County, W.Va. Democrat. Candidate for West Virginia state house of delegates. African ancestry. Still living as of 2012.   Christopher H. Payne (b. 1848) — of Huntington, Cabell County, W.Va. Born in Red Sulphur Springs, Monroe County, Va. (now W.Va.), September 7, 1848. Republican. Minister; lawyer; alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from West Virginia, 1900; U.S. Consul in St. Thomas, 1903-17. African ancestry. Burial location unknown.   Meshea La'Shawn Poore — also known as Meshea Poore — of Charleston, Kanawha County, W.Va. Democrat. Alternate delegate to Democratic National Convention from West Virginia, 2008; member of West Virginia state house of delegates; elected 2010, 2012. Female. African ancestry. Still living as of 2012.   Julia Wilkinson — of Montgomery, Fayette County, W.Va. Republican. Member of West Virginia Republican State Executive Committee, 1937. Female. African ancestry. Presumed deceased. Burial location unknown.

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