Ferdinand L. Barnett | |
|---|---|
| Member of theNebraska Legislature from the 10th district | |
| In office 1927–1928 | |
| Preceded by | Bernard R. Stone |
| Succeeded by | M. J. Gardiner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ferdinand Lee Barnett (1854-07-00)July , 1854 Huntsville, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | July 18, 1932(1932-07-18) (aged 77–78) Omaha, Nebraska, US |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Alice, Hattie Hunter |
| Relatives | Alfred S. Barnett (brother) |
| Alma mater | Fisk University |
| Occupation | Journalist, Civil servant |
Ferdinand Lee Barnett (July 1854 – July 18, 1932) was a journalist, civil rights activist, politician, and civil servant fromOmaha, Nebraska. He was founder and editor of the newspaperThe Progressive, which ran from 1889 to 1906 and served for a time as deputy clerk in the county court. He was elected to theNebraska State House of Representatives in 1926.
Ferdinand Lee[1] Barnett was born in July 1854, inHuntsville, Alabama,[2] to F. L. Barnett and Sarah Erskine. He attended Rusk School in Huntsville andFisk University inNashville.[3] He moved to Omaha in the 1880s along with his brother, fellow activist and journalistAlfred S. Barnett. Alfred S. later moved to Des Moines and then Chicago, while Ferdinand stayed in Omaha until his death from heart disease on July 18, 1932. Services were atSt. John African Methodist Episcopal Church and Barnett is buried atForest Lawn Cemetery. Ferdinand first married a woman named Alice and second, on October 7, 1925, to Hattie Watts (née Hunter) ofSparta, Illinois, daughter of Shed Hunter and Maria Patterson.[4]
Barnett had no children and was a cousin toFerdinand Lee Barnett, husband ofIda B. Wells-Barnett.[5]
Barnett was active in the Omaha black community even before founding his paper,The Progress. In 1895, Barnett was a member of the Omaha branch of theNational Afro-American League, serving in the Press committee withGeorge F. Franklin,[6] and in 1896 he was an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention.[7][8] In 1897 he was appointed sidewalk inspector in Omaha, a prestigious public position.[1]
In 1889 he foundedThe Progress, Omaha's first black paper. His influence through the paper was both local and national, and in 1901, he was elected vice president of the Western Negro Press Association.[9] The paper ran until 1906, and that same year he served as deputy clerk of the county court under Judge Irving Baxter[4] and ran for city alderman.[10] In the paper he worked withJames Bryant.
Two other important African-American papers started about the same time. In 1892 or 1893, DemocratCyrus D. Bell established theAfro-American Sentinel[11] and in 1893, fellow Republican G. F. Franklin began publishing theEnterprise (later owned and edited byJohn Albert Williams). TheProgress was noted in its pro-Republican stance, and the three papers became rivals. An example of their differences occurred in 1895 in the wake ofBooker T. Washington'sAtlanta Compromise Speech. Barnett'sProgress opposed any sort of compromise, Franklin'sEnterprise supported Washington's leadership in making a compromise, while Bell'sSentinel strongly endorsed Washington's position.[12]
In May 1921, Barnett was appointed custodian of the old and new police station by Commissioner Henry Dunn, succeeding George Hockley.[13] He later moved to the job of janitor of the county jail.
Barnett ran for state senator of the tenth district in 1924[14] He lost in 1924, but ran again in 1926 and won. His campaign was a bare bones affair. He said, "I just hustled, I didn't spend a dime, or make a speech. I just went from house to house and told people to vote for me." He also used campaign cards from his 1924 campaign with the date changed[15] He gained 1,076 votes against fellow Republican C. D. Bogue, who received 130 votes, and Democrat Ralph E. Roche, 935 votes.[16] The first measure introduced by Barnet sought to make any county where mob violence or lynching occurred liable for damage to the victim or his heirs,[17] a measure that passed.[4] Along withJohn Andrew Singleton, he was one of two black men elected to the Nebraska House of Representatives in 1926.
Barnett's primary reelection in 1928 was a close affair. He won the primary over Sam Klaver by two votes[18] and he lost in the general to M. J. Gardiner.[19] In the 1930 primary, the votes were initially calculated to be a tie with Ed L. A. Smith with 243 votes each. Smith won a coin toss, but a recount was declared. After the recount, Barnett was given 238 votes and Smith 240. Barnett challenged the decision in court.[20]
In 1931, a year before he died, Barnett was removed from his position as janitor by the Police Commissioner.[21]
His name is sometimes misspelled as T. L. Barnett, likely due to a transcription error in theNegro Year Book.[citation needed]