Arthur G. Froe

Arthur Glenn Froe was born in Abingdon, Virginia, on March 24, 1876, where he spent his early childhood.{{efn|name=fn1}} He was the son of Cheshire C. Froe and Leah Singleton Froe, and he had one sister, Cleopatra Froe.{{cite news| title =Pocahontas, Virginia| newspaper =Bluefield Daily Telegraph| location =Bluefield, West Virginia| date =December 4, 1932| page =4| url =https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89264348/pocahontas-virginia/| access-date =November 20, 2021| via =Newspapers.com| archive-date =November 20, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211120180605/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89264348/pocahontas-virginia/| url-status =live}}

Froe was a nephew of prominent local merchant U. S. G. Froe. He attended public school in Pocahontas, Tazewell County, Virginia, from where he relocated to Petersburg, Virginia, and attended Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute. Following his graduation from the institute, Froe became an active alumnus and regularly attended meetings of the institute's alumni association and commencement ceremonies.{{cite news | title =Alumni Meeting Called | newspaper =The Broad Ax | location =Chicago, Illinois | date =May 6, 1922 | page =2 | url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/iune_charlie_ver01/data/sn84024055/00280761096/1922050601/0697.pdf | access-date =November 28, 2021 | via =Chronicling America | archive-date =June 6, 2021 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210606134313/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/iune_charlie_ver01/data/sn84024055/00280761096/1922050601/0697.pdf | url-status =live }}{{cite news| title =Virginia N. & I. I. Exercises June 8–9| newspaper =The Northwestern Bulletin| location =St. Paul, Minnesota | date =May 13, 1922| page =4| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/mnhi_limbo_ver01/data/sn90060931/0038334816A/1922051301/0042.pdf| access-date =November 28, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =June 6, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210606134349/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/mnhi_limbo_ver01/data/sn90060931/0038334816A/1922051301/0042.pdf| url-status =live}}{{cite news | title =From Petersburg, Virginia | newspaper =The Broad Ax | location =Chicago, Illinois | date =May 27, 1922 | page =2 | url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/iune_charlie_ver01/data/sn84024055/00280761096/1922052701/0709.pdf | access-date =December 6, 2021 | via =Chronicling America | archive-date =December 6, 2021 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211206213417/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/iune_charlie_ver01/data/sn84024055/00280761096/1922052701/0709.pdf | url-status =live }} After graduating, Froe returned to Pocahontas, where he taught in the town's public schools. He later attended Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Howard University School of Law.{{cite news| title =A. G. Froe, Former Recorder of Deeds, Dies in W. Virginia| newspaper =The New York Age| location =New York City, New York | date =December 3, 1932| page =1| url =https://www.newspapers.com/clip/248192/the-new-york-age/| access-date =November 20, 2021| via =Newspapers.com| archive-date =November 20, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211120230543/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/248192/the-new-york-age/| url-status =live}}

File:Downtown Welch WV 1915.jpg, 1915]]

Froe moved to Welch, West Virginia, in 1906 and established a law office. He later started the law firm Froe, Capehart, and Miller, in which Froe was senior partner with West Virginia House Delegate Harry J. Capehart and Leon P. Miller.{{Harvnb|Smith|1993|p=241.}} Froe represented both African-American and white clients, including marginalized white ethnic groups Hungarians, Italians, and Slavs.{{cite news| title =Senate Promptly Confirms Froe As Recorder of Deeds| newspaper =The Monitor| location =Omaha, Nebraska| date =February 24, 1922| page =1| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/nbu_indescribablebeast_ver01/data/00225879/00332899247/1922022401/0140.pdf| access-date =November 28, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =November 28, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211128184128/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/nbu_indescribablebeast_ver01/data/00225879/00332899247/1922022401/0140.pdf| url-status =live}} He and Capehart represented Joseph Parise and Cosimo Spadaro, who in 1915 were indicted on charges of first-degree murder in connection with a strike riot in Farmington.{{cite news | title =Two Years Each For Strike Rioters | newspaper =The West Virginian | location =Fairmont, West Virginia | date =November 29, 1915 | page =1 | url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/wvu_rollins_ver01/data/sn86072054/00415660376/1915112901/0775.pdf | access-date =November 28, 2021 | via =Chronicling America | archive-date =June 6, 2021 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210606133440/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/wvu_rollins_ver01/data/sn86072054/00415660376/1915112901/0775.pdf | url-status =live }}{{cite news | title =Strike Riot Cases Come Up Friday | newspaper =The West Virginian | location = Fairmont, West Virginia | date =November 23, 1915 | page =1 | url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/wvu_rollins_ver01/data/sn86072054/00415660376/1915112301/0725.pdf | access-date =December 6, 2021 | via =Chronicling America | archive-date =December 6, 2021 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211206200051/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/wvu_rollins_ver01/data/sn86072054/00415660376/1915112301/0725.pdf | url-status =live }}

In Welch, Froe became active in West Virginia Republican Party politics. Froe represented West Virginia at the Second Annual National Negro Educational Congress in Denver in 1911, where resolutions condemning mob violence and opposing the different application of law for African-Americans were adopted.{{cite news | title =Negro Congress | newspaper =The Colorado Statesman | location =Denver, Colorado | date =August 19, 1911 | page =1 | url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/cohi_hamilton_ver01/data/sn83025514/00340586347/1911081901/0713.pdf | access-date =November 28, 2021 | via =Chronicling America | archive-date =June 5, 2021 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210605122716/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/cohi_hamilton_ver01/data/sn83025514/00340586347/1911081901/0713.pdf | url-status =live }}{{cite news | title =National Negro Educational Congress Holds Second Annual Meeting | newspaper =Franklin's Paper The Statesman | location =Denver, Colorado | date =August 19, 1911 | page =1 | url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/cohi_abbeyville_ver01/data/sn91052311/00279550742/1911081901/0401.pdf | access-date =November 28, 2021 | via =Chronicling America | archive-date =June 5, 2021 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210605122735/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/cohi_abbeyville_ver01/data/sn91052311/00279550742/1911081901/0401.pdf | url-status =live }} By 1913, he was named treasurer of the McDowell County Colored Republican Organization, which was responsible for a growing number of African-American appointed and elected officials.{{Harvnb|Trotter|1990|p=49.}} Froe served as a member of the board of education for McDowell County's Browns Creek school district from 1914 to 1919.{{efn|name=fn2|According to the West Virginia Educational Directory, Froe served as a member of Browns Creek district school board for the 1914–15,{{Harvnb|Shawkey|1914|p=136.}} 1915–16,{{Harvnb|Shawkey|1915|p=147.}} 1916–17,{{Harvnb|Shawkey|1916|p=125.}} 1917–18,{{Harvnb|Shawkey|1917|p=128.}} and 1918–19 school years.{{Harvnb|Shawkey|1918|p=121.}}}} In addition, President Woodrow Wilson appointed Froe to a legal advisory board for McDowell County's draft boards during World War I following a recommendation from West Virginia Governor John J. Cornwell.{{Harvnb|West Virginia Department of Military Census and Enrollment|1920|p=22.}}{{cite web |url= https://www.marshall.edu/woodson-dev/lynching-in-west-virginia/ |title= Lynching in West Virginia |year= 2021 |last= Beasley | first = Adrienne |publisher= Marshall University |location= Huntington, West Virginia |access-date= December 6, 2021 |archive-date= May 17, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210517064718/https://www.marshall.edu/woodson-dev/lynching-in-west-virginia/ |url-status= live }}

In February 1915, Froe and African-American McDowell County lawyer E. H. Harper appeared before the West Virginia Senate committee on railroads at the final hearing for the "Full Crew Bill", which would have required railroad companies to hire additional brakemen on trains, thereby displacing African-American porters.{{cite news| title =Negro Attorneys Appear Before Senate Committee. Protest Against "Full Crew" Bill| newspaper =The McDowell Times| location =Keystone, West Virginia| date =February 19, 1915| page =2| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/wvu_phaser_ver02/data/sn86092050/00279550286/1915021901/0332.pdf| access-date =December 7, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =December 7, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211207201620/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/wvu_phaser_ver02/data/sn86092050/00279550286/1915021901/0332.pdf| url-status =live}}{{cite news | title =Negroes Object To A Full Crew Bill | newspaper =The West Virginian | location =Fairmont, West Virginia | date =February 12, 1915 | page =1 | url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/wvu_rollins_ver01/data/sn86072054/00415660352/1915021201/0321.pdf | access-date =December 7, 2021 | via =Chronicling America | archive-date =December 7, 2021 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211207201621/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/wvu_rollins_ver01/data/sn86072054/00415660352/1915021201/0321.pdf | url-status =live }} In his statement, Froe protested on behalf of all African-American railroad employees and argued such a law was unnecessary because West Virginia's Public Service Commission already had the power to prescribe what constituted a full crew. At a September 1917 meeting of the Negro Bar Association of West Virginia, Froe recognized the absence of African-American judges in West Virginia and offered a resolution to extend honorary membership to the state's African-American justices of the peace, which was approved.{{cite news| title =Negro Bar Association Hold Successful Meeting| newspaper =The McDowell Times| location =Keystone, West Virginia| date =September 28, 1917| page =1| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/wvu_phaser_ver02/data/sn86092050/00279550286/1917092801/0887.pdf| access-date =December 6, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =December 6, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211206213417/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/wvu_phaser_ver02/data/sn86092050/00279550286/1917092801/0887.pdf| url-status =live}}

Froe was endorsed by the McDowell County Colored Republican Organization for the position of Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. In December 1921, however, West Virginia Republicans Senator Davis Elkins and Congressperson Wells Goodykoontz of West Virginia's 5th congressional district announced their intent to recommend Froe for the post Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia.{{cite news| title =Negro Attorney Selected| newspaper =The Big Sandy News| location =Louisa, Kentucky| date =December 9, 1921| page =1| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/kyu_flamingo_ver01/data/sn83004226/0020219588A/1921120901/0552.pdf| access-date =November 28, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =November 28, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211128184128/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/kyu_flamingo_ver01/data/sn83004226/0020219588A/1921120901/0552.pdf| url-status =live}} On February 1, 1922, Senator Elkins, Congressperson Goodykoontz, and Froe held a closed meeting with President Warren G. Harding, who had previously nominated Henry Lincoln Johnson to the post, a nomination the Senate had rejected.{{cite news| title =A. G. Froe Takes Oath As Recorder Of Deeds| newspaper =The Washington Herald| location =Washington, D.C.| date =March 2, 1922| page =7| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_greyhound_ver02/data/sn83045433/00280764243/1922030201/0515.pdf| access-date =November 28, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =June 6, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210606133443/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_greyhound_ver02/data/sn83045433/00280764243/1922030201/0515.pdf| url-status =live}} Senator Elkins described Froe as "an able lawyer" and "a colored man of the highest standing in the southern part of West Virginia" in his nomination letter to President Harding,{{Harvnb|Trotter|1990|p=229.}} and he recommended Froe to recognize West Virginia's African-American Republican voters.{{Harvnb|Sherman|1973|p=183}} On February 1, 1922, following their meeting, President Harding formally announced his nomination of Froe for Recorder of Deeds to succeed John F. Costello.{{cite news| title =Froe Is Named New Recorder Of Deeds Here| newspaper =The Washington Times| location =Washington, D.C.| date =February 1, 1922| page =4| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_yorkie_ver01/data/sn84026749/00280764838/1922020101/0010.pdf| access-date =November 28, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =June 6, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210606133443/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_yorkie_ver01/data/sn84026749/00280764838/1922020101/0010.pdf| url-status =live}}

In a later speech at a conference of West Virginia African-American Republicans, Froe stated West Virginia's African-American voters "constituted a power that demanded recognition in both the state and nation". President Harding echoed this sentiment by stating; "colored voters of West Virginia, holding the balance of power feel that they are entitled to recognition". While Froe was being considered for this position, he received letters of endorsement from both Northern and Southern African-Americans, who emphasized the significance of his appointment for the advancement of the African-American community.{{Harvnb|Trotter|1990|p=231.}}

At the time of Froe's appointment and tenure, the Recorder of Deeds was one of the highest U.S. government positions held by African-Americans{{Harvnb|Nowlin|1970|pp=108–109}}{{cite news| title =Urban League Bulletin| newspaper =The Atlanta Constitution| location =Atlanta, Georgia | date =December 4, 1932| page =22| url =https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78665532/obituary-for-arthur-g-froe/| access-date =May 31, 2021| via =Newspapers.com| archive-date =May 31, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210531141622/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78665532/obituary-for-arthur-g-froe/| url-status =live}} and all but three appointees who served in this post were African-American. Froe's predecessor Costello was white; Froe's appointment returned an African-American to the post. President Woodrow Wilson had appointed Costello following a campaign by the National Democratic Fair Play Association to whiten U.S. government offices and an accusation by a white female Record of Deeds copyist, Irene Monroe, she had been preyed upon by African-American men in that office.{{Harvnb|Yellin|2013|p=181.}} Following Froe's appointment, California Republican Congressperson Julius Kahn cautioned Froe against disturbing Monroe's position in the office.

The Senate confirmed Froe's appointment on February 15, 1922,{{Harvnb|Weaver|1947|p=305}}{{Harvnb|United States Congress|1922|p=2611.}} and he took his oath of office as Recorder of Deeds on March 1. He was sworn in by William E. Williams, assistant clerk of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. At Froe's induction ceremony, he said; "I shall endeavor to conduct the work of the office with credit to the cause and the race which I represent".

At the onset of his tenure, Froe deplored the low salaries of the Recorder of Deeds' employees and stated one of his missions was to increase their salaries. At the time of his arrival to his post, the Recorder of Deeds office had over 50 employees―many of whom were African-American―and occupied four floors in the Century Building at 412 5th Street in the Judiciary Square neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C.{{Harvnb|Hess|1928|p=459}} Froe soon found the need for more office space for the Recorder of Deeds staff and in November 1922, he sought support in Congress for a new office building at the cost of $250,000 ({{Inflation|index=US|value=250000|start_year=1922|fmt=eq}}).{{cite news| title =Recorder Asks Capper's Support for New Building| newspaper =The Washington Herald| location =Washington, D.C.| date =November 27, 1922| page =3| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_greyhound_ver02/data/sn83045433/00280764310/1922112701/0103.pdf| access-date =November 28, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =June 6, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210606135044/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_greyhound_ver02/data/sn83045433/00280764310/1922112701/0103.pdf| url-status =live}} The following year, Froe also identified the need for more office space for the storage of the documents under his charge and enlisted the support of Congress and President Calvin Coolidge for an appropriation of $500,000 ({{Inflation|index=US|value=500000|start_year=1923|fmt=eq}}) to build a new Recorder of Deeds office building.{{cite news | title =Short Cuts | newspaper =The Broad Ax | location =Chicago, Illinois | date =September 8, 1923 | page =3 | url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/iune_bismuth_ver01/data/sn84024055/00332898048/1923090801/0146.pdf | access-date =November 28, 2021 | via =Chronicling America | archive-date =June 6, 2021 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210606135503/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/iune_bismuth_ver01/data/sn84024055/00332898048/1923090801/0146.pdf | url-status =live }}{{cite news| title =Coolidge Receives Official Callers| newspaper =The Evening Star| location =Washington, D.C.| date =October 3, 1923| page =12| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_beiderbecke_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280657396/1923100301/0312.pdf| access-date =November 28, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =November 28, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211128184129/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_beiderbecke_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280657396/1923100301/0312.pdf| url-status =live}}

President Coolidge reappointed Froe to the position in 1926. In August 1927, the General Accounting Office determined Froe's salary was not subject to deductions under the Civil Service Retirement Act because he was a presidential appointee and was not within the classified civil service. Froe had questioned such deductions to his salary by his deputy recorder and disbursing officer Robert W. Dutton.{{cite news| title =Office Not Classified: Salary of Recorder of Deeds Exempted From Deductions| newspaper =The Evening Star| location =Washington, D.C.| date =August 9, 1927| page =12| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_irving_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280659782/1927080901/0505.pdf| access-date =November 28, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =June 6, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210606140756/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_irving_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280659782/1927080901/0505.pdf| url-status =live}} In 1928, the Bureau of Efficiency released a report with recommendations to improve the efficiency of the Recorder of Deeds office to yield an estimated cost savings of $124,000 per year ({{Inflation|index=US|value=124,000|start_year=1928|fmt=eq}}).{{cite news| title =Gibson Body Probes Economy Proposals| newspaper =The Evening Star| location =Washington, D.C.| date =March 4, 1928| page =6| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_johnson_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280659514/1928030401/0548.pdf| access-date =November 28, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =June 6, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210606142455/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_johnson_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280659514/1928030401/0548.pdf| url-status =live}} While Froe approved the majority of the report's findings and recommendations, he objected to some of the cost-cutting recommendations because they could be construed as racially discriminatory. A house sub-committee led by Ernest Willard Gibson inquired why the Recorder of Deeds office did not implement these recommendations. Later in 1928, Froe identified the need for Congress to update the District of Columbia's code for incorporating companies.{{cite news| title =Bill Would Revamp Corporation Code| newspaper =The Evening Star| location =Washington, D.C.| date =December 4, 1928| page =12| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_keppard_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280600052/1928120401/0412.pdf| access-date =November 28, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =November 28, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211128184129/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_keppard_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280600052/1928120401/0412.pdf| url-status =live}} He found the law, which required every stock share to be subscribed for in good faith, prevented companies from holding treasury stock. This requirement discouraged the incorporation of companies in Washington, D.C., depriving the district of potential revenue. At Froe's request, in December 1928, Maryland Republican Congressperson Frederick Nicholas Zihlman introduced a bill to update the code and enable companies to have treasury stock.

In 1930, Senator Henry D. Hatfield and West Virginia's Republican congressional delegation urged President Herbert Hoover to retain Froe as Recorder of Deeds.{{Harvnb|Thomas|1998|p=201}}{{Harvnb|Lisio|1985|p=237}} Froe had the support of Hatfield, all five of West Virginia's Republican congressmen, the state's Republican governor, and the state's Republican national committee members. Froe was a popular African-American politician and the turnout of West Virginia's African-American electorate was critical for ensuring Republican Party campaign victories at the state and national levels. West Virginia Republicans recognized the African-American vote represented the balance of power in the 1930 elections, and were concerned Democrats would "alienate the negro vote from the Republican ticket". In September 1930—two months before the 1930 election⁠—however, District of Columbia Auditor Daniel J. Donovan accused Froe of being unable to effectively carry out his duties. In response, Hoover demanded and received Froe's resignation, and appointed Jefferson S. Coage to succeed him.{{Harvnb|Lisio|1985|p=238}} Senator Hatfield threatened to fight Hoover's nomination of Coage on the Senate floor but Hatfield was later appeased by lesser appointments. Froe served as Recorder of Deeds during the presidential administrations of Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover.{{cite news| title =Arthur G. Froe Dies: D.C. Recorder of Deeds Under Three Administrations| newspaper =The Evening Star| location =Washington, D.C.| date =November 27, 1932| page =13| url =https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78664155/obituary-for-arthur-g-froe-aged-58/| access-date =May 31, 2021| via =Newspapers.com| archive-date =May 31, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210531141609/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78664155/obituary-for-arthur-g-froe-aged-58/| url-status =live}} While serving in his post, Froe resided at 1724 S Street in Northwest Washington, D.C.

Froe married Hattie C. Johnson of Petersburg, Virginia. He was a member of the McDowell County Bar Association and the Negro Bar Association of West Virginia. In addition, Froe was a member of the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World, served as a grand district deputy, and attended their sessions in Baltimore and Cleveland.{{cite news| title =Attorney A. G. Froe Returns from Annual Grand Lodge of Elks| newspaper =The McDowell Times| location =Keystone, West Virginia| date =October 19, 1917| page =5| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/wvu_phaser_ver02/data/sn86092050/00279550286/1917101901/0909.pdf| access-date =December 8, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =December 8, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211208184904/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/wvu_phaser_ver02/data/sn86092050/00279550286/1917101901/0909.pdf| url-status =live}} Froe became known for his abilities as an orator, regularly delivering speeches and lectures, and multiple newspapers referred to him as "the colored William Jennings Bryan".{{cite news| title =New Recorder of Deeds Inducted Into Office| newspaper =Metropolis Weekly Gazette| location =Metropolis, Illinois| date =March 24, 1922| page =1| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/iune_amethyst_ver01/data/sn89080007/00332897858/1922032401/0373.pdf| access-date =May 31, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =June 6, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210606133442/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/iune_amethyst_ver01/data/sn89080007/00332897858/1922032401/0373.pdf| url-status =live}}{{cite news| title =A. G. Froe Expected to be D.C. Recorder of Deeds| newspaper =The Evening Star| location =Washington, D.C.| date =February 1, 1922| page =1| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_cylon_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280657062/1922020101/0404.pdf | access-date =December 6, 2021| via =Chronicling America}} In April 1925, Froe delivered an address to the Annual Conference of the Association of Mail Carriers in Norfolk, Virginia,{{cite news| title =Colorful News "Movies"| newspaper =Richmond Planet| location =Richmond, Virginia | date =April 18, 1925| page =4| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/vi_jumboshrimp_ver01/data/sn84025841/00414216523/1925041801/0130.pdf| access-date =November 28, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =November 20, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211120180605/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/vi_jumboshrimp_ver01/data/sn84025841/00414216523/1925041801/0130.pdf| url-status =live}} and in November 1927, he gave a talk on records management entitled "What Papers Are Recordable and the Effect of Recordations".{{cite news| title =Burkinshaw to Speak| newspaper =The Evening Star| location =Washington, D.C.| date =November 3, 1927| page =6| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_irving_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280659848/1927110301/0523.pdf| access-date =November 28, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =June 6, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210606141244/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_irving_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280659848/1927110301/0523.pdf| url-status =live}} A September 1918 article in The McDowell Times described Froe as the wealthiest African-American man in McDowell County.{{cite news| title =Attorney Froe Returned From Baltimore; Had Most Successful Trip| newspaper =The McDowell Times| location =Keystone, West Virginia| date =September 6, 1918| page =2| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/wvu_phaser_ver02/data/sn86092050/00279550286/1918090601/0982.pdf| access-date =December 7, 2021| via =Chronicling America}}

In April 1930, Froe attended the conference establishing the National Negro Republican League organization.{{cite news| title =Negro Republican League Is Formed | newspaper =The Evening Star| location =Washington, D.C.| date =April 27, 1930| page =A-2| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_noone_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280600714/1930042701/0539.pdf| access-date =December 6, 2021| via =Chronicling America}} In September 1932, Senator Hatfield named Froe as a member of the West Virginia Republican Party's advisory committee, aiding the party's campaign effort ahead of the 1932 elections.{{cite news| title =Republicans Open Offices in City| newspaper =Bluefield Daily Telegraph| location = Bluefield, West Virginia | date =September 28, 1932| page =4| url =https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9432495/bluefield-daily-telegraph/| access-date =November 20, 2021| via =Newspapers.com| archive-date =November 21, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211121134727/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9432495/bluefield-daily-telegraph/| url-status =live}} In late 1932, Froe's health declined due to a heart-related illness and he was hospitalized at Stevens Clinic Hospital in Welch for approximately a month, and died there at 7:37{{nnbsp}}p.m. on November 26, 1932. Froe was interred at Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg, Virginia, on November 30, 1932.

Following his death in 1932, former students of Froe remarked on his abilities as a teacher. In December 1936, portraits of 12 Recorders of Deeds, including Froe, were unveiled at the United States Department of Labor.{{cite news| title =Portraits of 12 to be Unveiled| newspaper =The Evening Star| location =Washington, D.C.| date =December 15, 1936| page =C-8| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_1johns_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280601627/1936121501/0448.pdf| access-date =November 28, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =November 28, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211128184130/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_1johns_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280601627/1936121501/0448.pdf| url-status =live}}{{cite news| title =600 See Unveiling of 11 Portraits| newspaper =The Evening Star| location =Washington, D.C.| date =December 16, 1936| page =B-5| url =https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_1johns_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280601627/1936121601/0485.pdf| access-date =November 28, 2021| via =Chronicling America| archive-date =November 28, 2021| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20211128184131/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_1johns_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280601627/1936121601/0485.pdf| url-status =live}} The portraits were requested by the Recorder of Deeds William J. Thompkins and were painted by Public Works Administration artists. Froe's former law partner Capehart was among the attendees who were invited to pay tribute at the unveiling ceremony.

While Froe's attempts to secure a new building for the Recorder of Deeds office were unsuccessful during his tenure, the agency eventually received the newly completed Recorder of Deeds Building at 515 D Street, Northwest, in 1943, under Recorder of Deeds Thompkins.{{Harvnb|Butler|2011|pp=277–278.}}{{Harvnb|Miller|2011|pp=1–2, 4, & 12.}}

{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

{{reflist}}

{{Refbegin|30em}}

• {{cite journal|last=Butler|first=Sara A.|title=Ground Breaking in New Deal Washington, DC: Art, Patronage, and Race at the Recorder of Deeds Building|journal=Winterthur Portfolio|volume=45|issue=4|publisher=University of Chicago Press|location=Chicago, Illinois|pages=277–320|year=2011|doi=10.1086/663159|jstor=10.1086/663159|s2cid=142646632}}
• {{cite book|title=Official Congressional Directory: 70th Congress, 1st Session|year=1928|edition=2nd|editor-last=Hess|editor-first=Elmer C.|location=Washington D.C.|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.204657/|url-access=registration|via=the Internet Archive|access-date=November 21, 2021}}
• {{cite book|last=Lisio|first=Donald J.|year=1985|title=Hoover, Blacks, & Lily-Whites: A Study of Southern Strategies|publisher=University of North Carolina Press|location=Chapel Hill, North Carolina|isbn=978-0-8078-1645-5|oclc=564825552|url=https://archive.org/details/hooverblackslily00lisi/|access-date=November 21, 2021|url-access=registration|via=the Internet Archive}}
• {{cite book|last=Miller|first=Rebecca|title=Historic Preservation Review Board Application for Historic Landmark or Historic District Designation: Recorder of Deeds Building|date=August 4, 2011|publisher=District of Columbia Office of Planning|location=Washington, D.C.|url=https://planning.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/op/publication/attachments/Recorder%20of%20Deeds%20Building.pdf|access-date=December 7, 2021|archive-date=September 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918182056/https://planning.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/op/publication/attachments/Recorder%20of%20Deeds%20Building.pdf|url-status=live}}
• {{cite book|last=Nowlin|first=William F.|year=1970|title=The Negro In American National Politics|publisher=Russell and Russell|location=New York City, New York|oclc=575577142|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.285764/|access-date=November 21, 2021|url-access=registration|via=the Internet Archive}}
• {{cite book|title=West Virginia Educational Directory, For the School Year 1914–15|series=Education directory|year=1914|editor-last=Shawkey|editor-first=M. P.|location=Charleston, West Virginia|publisher=Tribune Printing Company|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112110944607|via=HathiTrust|access-date=November 28, 2021|archive-date=November 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128184135/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112110944607|url-status=live}}
• {{cite book|title=West Virginia Educational Directory, For the School Year 1915–16|series=Education directory|year=1915|editor-last=Shawkey|editor-first=M. P.|location=Charleston, West Virginia|publisher=Tribune Printing Company|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112110944607|via=HathiTrust|access-date=November 28, 2021|archive-date=November 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128184213/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112110944607|url-status=live}}
• {{cite book |title=West Virginia Educational Directory, For the School Year 1916–17 |series=Education directory |year=1916 |editor-last=Shawkey |editor-first=M. P. |location=Charleston, West Virginia |publisher=Tribune Printing Company |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112110944615 |via=HathiTrust |access-date=November 28, 2021 |archive-date=November 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128184137/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112110944615 |url-status=live }}
• {{cite book |title=West Virginia Educational Directory, For the School Year 1917–18 |series=Education directory |year=1917 |editor-last=Shawkey |editor-first=M. P. |location=Charleston, West Virginia |publisher=Tribune Printing Company |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112110944615 |via=HathiTrust |access-date=November 28, 2021 |archive-date=November 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128184138/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112110944615 |url-status=live }}
• {{cite book |title=West Virginia Educational Directory, For the School Year 1918–19 |series=Education directory |year=1918 |editor-last=Shawkey |editor-first=M. P. |location=Charleston, West Virginia |publisher=Tribune Printing Company |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112110944615 |via=HathiTrust |access-date=November 28, 2021 |archive-date=November 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128184136/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112110944615 |url-status=live }}
• {{cite book |last = Sherman |first = Richard B. |year = 1973 |title = The Republican Party and Black America from McKinley to Hoover, 1896–1933 |publisher = University Press of Virginia |location = Charlottesville, Virginia |isbn = 978-0-8139-0467-2 |oclc = 1036841302 |url = https://archive.org/details/republicanparty00rich/ |access-date = November 21, 2021 |url-access = registration |via = the Internet Archive }}
• {{cite book | last = Smith | first = J. Clay Jr. | author-link = J. Clay Smith Jr. | title = Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer 1844–1944 | publisher = University of Pennsylvania Press | location = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | url = https://archive.org/details/emancipationmaki00smit/ | date = 1993 | isbn = 978-0-8122-1685-1 | oclc = 491962363 | access-date = November 21, 2021 | url-access = registration | via = the Internet Archive }}
• {{cite book |last = Thomas |first = Jerry Bruce |year = 1998 |title = An Appalachian New Deal: West Virginia in the Great Depression |publisher = University Press of Kentucky |location = Lexington, Kentucky |isbn = 978-0-8131-2064-5 |oclc = 605372844 |url = https://archive.org/details/appalachiannewde0000thom/ |access-date = November 21, 2021 |url-access = registration |via = the Internet Archive }}
• {{cite book |last = Trotter |first = Joe William Jr. |author-link = Joe William Trotter Jr. |year = 1990 |title = Coal, Class, and Color: Blacks in Southern West Virginia, 1915-32 |publisher = University of Illinois Press |location = Champaign, Illinois |isbn = 978-0-252-06119-6 |oclc = 20628157 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=nF-963i4uiUC |access-date = November 28, 2021 |via = Google Books |archive-date = November 28, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211128184213/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Coal_Class_and_Color/nF-963i4uiUC |url-status = live }}
• {{cite journal | journal = Congressional Record (Bound Edition) | author = United States Congress | date = March 1, 1922 | volume = 62 | issue = 3 | title = Volume 62, Part 3 (February 6, 1922 to March 1, 1922) | location = Washington D.C. | publisher = U.S. Government Printing Office | url = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1922-pt3-v62/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1922-pt3-v62-9-2.pdf | via = Govinfo.gov |access-date=December 6, 2021}}
• {{cite journal | last = Weaver | first = Frederick S. | year = 1947 | title = Recorders of Deeds for the District of Columbia | journal = The Negro Handbook, 1946–1947 | editor-last = Murray | editor-first = Florence | publisher = Current Books, Inc. | location = New York City, New York | pages = 305–307 | via = the Internet Archive | oclc = 793915469 | url = https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.233957/ |access-date=November 28, 2021}}
• {{cite book|author=West Virginia Department of Military Census and Enrollment|year=1920|title=Organization and the Execution of the Selective Service Act in the State of West Virginia|publisher=Tribune Printing Company|location=Charleston, West Virginia|oclc=610428687|url=https://archive.org/details/organizationexec00westrich/|access-date=December 7, 2021|via=the Internet Archive}}
• {{cite book |last = Yellin |first = Eric S. |year = 2013 |title = Racism in the Nation's Service: Government Workers and the Color Line in Woodrow Wilson's America |publisher = University of North Carolina Press |location = Chapel Hill, North Carolina |isbn = 978-1-4696-0721-4 |oclc = 1162343945 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fixBOW3902UC |access-date = November 28, 2021 |via = Google Books |archive-date = November 28, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211128184207/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Racism_in_the_Nation_s_Service/fixBOW3902UC |url-status = live }}

{{refend}}

• {{commons category-inline|Arthur G. Froe}}

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