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Oscar Stanton De Priest

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Oscar Stanton De Priest
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 1st district
In office
March 4, 1929 – January 3, 1935
Preceded byMartin B. Madden
Succeeded byArthur W. Mitchell
Personal details
Born(1871-03-09)March 9, 1871
Florence, Alabama
DiedMay 12, 1951(1951-05-12) (aged 80)
Chicago, Illinois
Resting placeGraceland Cemetery, Uptown, Chicago
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Jessie De Priest
ChildrenLaurence W. De Priest
Oscar Stanton De Priest, Jr.

Oscar Stanton De Priest was an American Republican politician and civil rights advocate. He served as a U.S. Representative from the state of Illinois. During his three terms, he was the only African American serving in Congress.

De Priest proposed a law barring discrimination in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC was program of the New Deal to employ people across the country in building infrastructure. His proposal was made a law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1929, De Priest made national news. First Lady Lou Hoover invited his wife, Jessie, to a traditional tea for congressional wives at the White House.[1][2] In reaction several newspapers published a racist poem called Niggers in the White House. The poem was first published when Booker T. Washington dined with President Theodore Roosevelt.

References

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  1. Day, Davis S. (Winter 1980). "Herbert Hoover and Racial Politics: The De Priest Incident". Journal of Negro History. 65 (1). Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Inc.: 6–17. doi:10.2307/3031544. JSTOR 3031544. S2CID 149611666.
  2. "'A Tempest In a Teapot'". The White House Historical Association. Retrieved 30 September 2016.