Robert Church, tireless African-American Tennessee Republican civil rights champion
Grand Old Partisan honors Robert Church Jr., born in Memphis, October 26th 1885. His father, of mixed race, had worked himself up from emancipated slave to successful banker. The son studied finance and eventually inherited the family business. Civil rights activist Mary Terrell was his half-sister.
In 1916, Church established the Lincoln League, to help Black citizens register to vote. His organization soon expanded statewide and then nationwide. He served on the NAACP board of directors.
Church was delegate at nine Republican National Conventions. He had considerable influence over federal appointments in Tennessee during GOP administrations. Angered by his support for Wendell Willkie in the 1940 presidential campaign, Democrats seized his assets and shut down his organization. He moved to Chicago and worked with civil rights leader Asa Philip Randolph.
Church suffered a fatal heart attack at the Tennessee state GOP convention. He was attending to support Dwight Eisenhower for the presidential nomination.
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