Cleveland Colbert
{{Short description|African American community activist, civil rights activist (1906–1962)}}
Cleveland Moland Colbert (October 6, 1906–January 23, 1962) was an African American 20th-century community organizer, political candidate, and author.{{Cite web |last=Alex |first=Kitonga |title=Cleveland Colbert - Advocate for Self-Determination |url=https://milwaukeebronzevillehistories.org/items/show/6?tour=1&index=8 |access-date=2022-09-14 |website=Milwaukee Bronzeville Histories |language=en-US}} Colbert served as the president of the Afro American National Economical Society (AANES) in the 1940s. In 1942, Colbert was elected as the second African American to serve in Wisconsin State Assembly; he was declared the election winner and it later was overturned by a recount, the seat was given to Philip Markey.{{Cite news |date=1942-11-14 |title=Wins in Recount |pages=8 |work=The La Crosse Tribune |publisher=AP News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112403788/wins-in-recount/ |access-date=2022-11-02 |issn=0745-9793}}{{Cite news |date=1942-11-15 |title=Recount Defeats Negro Candidate |pages=2 |work=The Journal Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112403854/recount-defeats-negro-candidate/ |access-date=2022-11-02}}
Biography
Colbert was born on October 6, 1906, in Old Spring Hill, Alabama, to parents Minnie Cook and George Moland Colbert.{{Cite web |date=2019-12-10 |title=Colbert, Cleveland H. Moland |url=https://alba-valb.org/volunteers/cleveland-h-moland-colbert/ |access-date=2022-09-14 |website=The Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives |language=en-US}} He and his family lived at 813 West Galena Street in Milwaukee's Bronzeville neighborhood. He had worked in many roles including as a musician, an upholsterer, a crane operator, and an aviator. For a few months the 1930s Colbert served against his will as an aviator in the Spanish Civil War, where he was supposed to be in contract for commercial flying.
In 1940, after he had returned to the United States, Colbert was the president of the Afro American National Economical Society (AANES). The AANES supported the African American community through encouraging industrial businesses, as well as serving the civic, charitable, and social welfare needs.
Colbert was active in local politics, he won the election primaries against three competitors.{{Cite news |last=Everett |first=Winter |date=1942-10-28 |title=Negro May Win State Assembly Seat |pages=6 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112404315/negro-may-win-state-assembly-seat/ |access-date=2022-11-02}} In October 1942, Colbert was initially certified as the election winner of the 5th district seat in Wisconsin, before the results were overturned.{{Cite news |date=1942-11-14 |title=Wisconsin Assembly Gets First Negro in 36 Years |pages=5 |work=The Weekly Review (newspaper), Birmingham, Alabama |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112404070/wisconsin-assembly-gets-first-negro-in/ |access-date=2022-11-02}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ut1Va_D9U1oC&dq=cleveland+colbert&pg=PA206|title=Black Milwaukee: The Making of an Industrial Proletariat, 1915-45|first=Joe William|last=Trotter|date=July 14, 1985|publisher=University of Illinois Press|isbn=9780252060359 |via=Google Books}}{{Cite news |date=1942-11-14 |title=Wisconsin Gets First Negro |pages=2 |work=Jackson Advocate |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112404000/wisconsin-gets-first-negro/ |access-date=2022-11-02 |issn=0047-1704}} After a recount, Phillip Markey was declared the winner, winning only by a few votes (as little as 10 votes); and Colbert was given $200 USD for his expenses during the period of recount.{{Cite web |date=July 14, 1943 |others=Wisconsin Legislature Assembly |title=Journal of Proceedings of the ... Session of the Wisconsin Legislature |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PE7ZAAAAMAAJ&dq=cleveland+colbert+milwaukee&pg=PA43 |publisher=State Printer |via=Google Books}}{{Cite web |date=June 17, 1943 |title=Would Pay Fight Cost Of Defeated Candidate |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/334171501/ |access-date=2022-09-14 |website=Newspapers.com |publisher=The Journal Times |page=12 |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=1942-11-14 |title=Progressive Wins in Ballot Recount |pages=2 |work=Marshfield News-Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112403911/progressive-wins-in-ballot-recount/ |access-date=2022-11-02}} Colbert was a Republican.{{Cite web |date=July 14, 1944 |title=The Wisconsin Blue Book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K7QGAQAAIAAJ&dq=cleveland+colbert+milwaukee&pg=PA583 |publisher=Industrial Commission |via=Google Books}} Lucian H. Palmer was the first African American to serve as a member of the Wisconsin state legislature; and Colbert would have been the second, if the election recount had not unseated him.{{Cite web |date=January 14, 1943 |title=Fight Over Assembly Seat |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/518635589/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2022-09-14 |website=Newspapers.com |publisher=The Capital Times |page=10 |language=en |issn=0749-4068}} LeRoy Simmons subsequently became the second African American to serve in the Wisconsin House of Representatives.
He authored the book, The Afro-Americans’ Problems and Solution (1951; Dell and Dell Publishers). The book can be found in the Special Collections Department at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.
See also
References
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Category:People from Marengo County, Alabama
Category:20th-century African-American politicians
Category:20th-century American politicians
Category:Activists from Milwaukee