Charles H. Roberts

Charles H. Roberts
Roberts c. 1924
Member of the
New York City Board of Aldermen
from the 27th district
In office
January 1, 1920 – December 31, 1921
Personal details
Born1872
North Carolina, U.S.
DiedJanuary 1, 1967 (aged 94)
New York City, U.S.
PartyRepublican
Spouse
Hattie Beatrice Bailey
​
​
(m. 1907)​
ChildrenBeatrice
RelativesRuth Logan Roberts (sister-in-law)
OccupationPolitician, dentist
Military service
Allegiance France
Branch/serviceFrench Army
Years of service
1915
UnitMedical Department
Battles/warsWorld War I

Charles H. Roberts (1872 – January 1, 1967) was an American dentist and politician who, alongside George W. Harris, was one of the first two African Americans elected to the New York City Board of Aldermen in 1919. He was also the first African American nominated for Congress by the Republican Party in a northern state, running as the party's unsuccessful candidate for New York's 21st district in 1924.[a]

Biography

A native of North Carolina, Roberts graduated from Lincoln University[4] and the Temple University School of Dentistry,[5] coming to New York City in 1894. He became president of the Manhattan Dental and Pharmaceutical Association and served in the Medical Department of the French Army during World War I.[6]

Roberts was elected from the 27th aldermanic district in 1919,[6] representing Harlem.[7] During his tenure, he worked alongside assemblyman John Clifford Hawkins,[8] U.S. Army colonels William Hayward and William Jay Schieffelin, and other civic leaders to secure an armory for the Harlem Hellfighters.[9] In 1920, Roberts and Harris drew criticism from The Messenger for supporting the expulsion of five Socialists from the State Assembly.[10] Roberts was defeated for reelection in 1921.[11]

On August 5, 1924, the New York County Republican Party nominated Roberts for Congress in New York's 21st district.[4] The decision was reportedly made to avoid African American defections to the Democratic Party.[12][13] When Charles Gardner, a U.S. Army sergeant at Fort Hamilton,[14][15] wrote to Calvin Coolidge requesting the president block Roberts's nomination, Coolidge responded, in part:

Our Constitution guarantees equal rights to all our citizens without discrimination on account of race or color. I have taken my oath to support that Constitution.... A colored man is precisely as much entitled to submit his name in a party primary as any other citizen. The decision must be made by the constituents to whom he offers himself and by nobody else....[16]

Roberts lost the election with 43% of the vote;[17] despite strong support from black voters, white Republicans defected to incumbent Democrat Royal H. Weller by margins of two or three to one.[18]

Personal life

Roberts married Hattie Beatrice Bailey on June 27, 1907.[19] They had one daughter, Beatrice.[5] Roberts's brother was Eugene Percy Roberts,[20] a prominent black physician and politician in his own right, who was the first African American to receive a degree in medicine in New York City, serve as a member of the New York City Board of Education, and become a trustee of Lincoln University.[21] Eugene's wife was Ruth Logan Roberts, herself a prominent activist and socialite.[22]

Works

  • The Negro in Harlem: A Report on Social and Economic Conditions Responsible for the Outbreak of March 19, 1935. New York: The Mayor's Commission on Conditions in Harlem. 1935.

Notes

  1. ↑ According to The New York Age.[1] The Age also claimed that Roberts was the first African American nominated for Congress in New York City,[2] but this was not completely true; Reverdy C. Ransom, an independent, was nominated by the United Civic League in a 1918 special election.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Harlem Voters, In Last Week Of Campaign, Rally To Roberts For Congress". The New York Age. New York. November 1, 1924. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Roberts Must Be Sent To Congress, Declares Con. Dyer". The New York Age. New York. October 25, 1924. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  3. ↑ "NEGRO ENTERS RACE FOR CONGRESS HERE". The Sun. New York. February 24, 1918. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Dr. Roberts To Run For Congress". The New York Age. New York. August 16, 1924. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  5. 1 2 "CHARLES H. ROBERTS, AN EX-ALDERMAN, 94". The New York Times. New York. January 3, 1967. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Allison, Madeline G. (December 1919). "Politics". The Crisis. 19 (2): 85. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  7. ↑ "LANGSTON PREDICTS VICTORY FOR ROBERTS". The New York Age. New York. October 11, 1919. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Roberts and Hawkins Urge Legislation For 15th Reg't. $150,000 Building For North Carolina Insurance Co". The New York Age. New York. February 21, 1920. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  9. ↑ Sammons, Jeffrey T.; Morrow, John H. Jr. (2014). Harlem's Rattlers and the Great War: The Undaunted 369th Regiment and the African American Quest for Equality. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas. p. 402. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  10. ↑ "The Socialist Expulsion". The Messenger. II (111): 2. March 1920. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Tammany Makes Clean Sweep; Regains Absolute City Control". The New York Age. New York. November 12, 1921. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  12. ↑ Monroe N., Work (1925). Negro Year Book. Tuskegee: Tuskegee Institute. p. 64. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  13. ↑ Osofsky, Gilbert (1966). Harlem; The Making of a Ghetto; Negro New York, 1890-1930. New York: Harper & Row. p. 177. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  14. ↑ "COOLIDGE ON COLORED CANDIDATES". The Literary Digest. Vol. LXXXII, no. 9. August 30, 1924. p. 13. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  15. ↑ "President Coolidge Resents Intended Insult to Negro Race By Fort Hamilton Man". The New York Age. New York. August 16, 1924. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  16. ↑ "NEGROES: Black Representatives". Time. Vol. IV, no. 7. August 18, 1924. p. 6. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  17. ↑ Annual Report of the Board of Elections of the City of New York for the year 1924. New York: New York City Board of Elections. 1924. p. 80. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Roberts Defeated Through Treachery Of White Voters In The West Side District". The New York Age. New York. November 8, 1924. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  19. ↑ "THE NEWS OF GREATER NEW YORK". The New York Age. New York. July 4, 1907. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  20. ↑ "DR. CHAS. H. ROBERTS TO RUN FOR ALDERMAN". The New York Age. New York. August 2, 1919. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Eugene Percy Roberts papers 1912-1917". archives.nypl.org. New York Public Library. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  22. ↑ Alexander, Adele Logan. "Ruth Logan Roberts". documents.alexanderstreet.com. Alexander Street. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
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