Edward D. Green (February 25, 1865 – August 23, 1936) was an American politician and businessman. He represented the 1st District, as a Republican in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...

from 1905 to 1907 and from 1911 to 1913. During his first term, he was the only

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

to serve in the House.

Early life, education and career

Edward D. Green was born in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

in 1865. His parents were Maudline and Jonathan Green. By 1867, the family was living in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

. He attended Sumner High School in St. Louis. Green was a member of the

Knights of Pythias of North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia The Knights of Pythias of North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, also known as the Colored Knights of Pythias or the Knights of Pythias, is a fraternal organization in the United States. The Knights of Pythias, founded ...

. In 1904, he organized the national commercial department of the organization. He was also a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

and a member of the Appomattox Club. In 1911, Green moved to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and lived in the Bronzeville neighborhood.

Politics and life

Upon arriving in Chicago in 1911, Green began working in the real estate business. He worked as a secretary at the Northern Assets Realization Company. As of 1915, Green was unmarried. He continued to be a member of the Knights of Pythias, serving as secretary for the national organization and secretary for the organization's Pythian Temple Sanitarium Commission.

Illinois House of Representatives

Green served two separate terms, 1905–07 and 1911–13, in the

as a Republican. During his first term, he was the only African-American to serve in the House. During his first term, he introduced a bill to ban the

numbers game The numbers game, also known as the numbers racket, the Italian lottery, Mafia lottery, or the daily number, is a form of illegal gambling or illegal lottery played mostly in poor and working-class neighborhoods in the United States, wherein a ...

. He successfully introduced a bill that passed to stop discrimination in burial lot prices in cemeteries based on race. He also introduced successful anti-lynching and anti-mob bills. He ran for Illinois State Senate Democratic nomination for the 3rd district in 1910. During his election, '' The Broad Ax'', which endorsed Green, said he "stands in the estimation of the best Colored people in Chicago." He did not win the nomination. He lost reelection in 1912, defeated by a white person. It became the first time a black person had not served in the Illinois State Legislature since 1880. Green died on August 23, 1936, in

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County, Arkansas, Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs ...

, after being sick for a year. His body was sent back to Chicago and buried in the Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Edward D. 1865 births Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives 19th-century African-American businesspeople 19th-century American businesspeople 1936 deaths Politicians from St. Louis Knights of Pythias American businesspeople in real estate 20th-century American businesspeople Businesspeople from Chicago 20th-century African-American businesspeople Politicians from Chicago African-American Methodists American anti-lynching activists 20th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly 20th-century African-American politicians

Early life, education and career

Politics and life

Illinois House of Representatives

Further reading

References