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Frederick Madison Roberts (September 14, 1879 – July 19, 1952) was an American newspaper owner and editor, educator and business owner; he became a politician, the first known man of African American descent elected to the California State Assembly. He served there for 16 years and became known as "dean of the assembly."
Frederick Madison Roberts was born in Ohio and grew up in Los Angeles, where his parents moved in 1887. The first black graduate of the city’s high school and a football star at Colorado College, he was a tax assessor, mortician, and college president.
Frederick Madison Roberts, the great-great-grandson of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, had an major impact on early 20th century politics in California and was the first Black legislator in Los Angeles and the state as a whole.
Feb 18, 2024 · I came across the name Frederick Roberts and accidentally discovered that there was more to his history than meets the eye. Not only was he the great-grandson of the enslaved Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson (3rd President of the United States), but Frederick was the first African-American to be elected to the California State Assembly in 1919.
Nov 6, 2018 · Learn about the life and achievements of Frederick Madison Roberts, who was the first African American to serve in the California State Legislature and run for the U.S. House of Representatives. He was also a newspaper publisher, mortician, and civic leader.
Jan 19, 2007 · Learn about the life and achievements of Frederick Madison Roberts, who was born in Ohio, became a newspaper editor, and served in the California State Assembly from 1912 to 1934. He was the first black to hold such office on the West Coast and sponsored civil rights and education bills.
Sep 30, 2020 · Learn about Frederick Madison Roberts, the great-grandson of Sally Hemings and the first Black American to serve in the California Legislature. He ran in a majority white district and built a multiethnic coalition in 1918.
