Frank R. Beckwith facts for kids

Frank Roscoe Beckwith (born December 11, 1904 – died August 24, 1965) was a lawyer, someone who worked for civil rights, and a politician from Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1960, he made history. He became the first African American to run for President of the United States in a major political party's primary election.

Early Life and School

Frank Roscoe Beckwith was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on December 11, 1904. His parents had been slaves before he was born. He went to Indianapolis Public Schools, including Numbers 37 and 26. He then graduated from Arsenal Technical High School in 1921. Two lawyers, Sumner A. Clancy and Asa J. Smith, taught him about law.

Frank Beckwith's Career

Before becoming a successful lawyer and civil rights leader, Beckwith briefly ran a newspaper called the Indianapolis Tribune in the 1920s. He joined the Republican Party in 1928. From 1929 to 1933, he worked for the Indiana Industrial Board. There, he helped manage welfare and safety.

In 1935, Beckwith helped create a new law. This law made sure that Indiana school children who lived far from public schools could get free transportation.

Law Office and Early Politics

Beckwith opened his law office on Indiana Avenue. This area was a lively center for the city's African American community. He tried several times to win political offices but was not successful at first. In 1936, he ran for a seat in the Indiana General Assembly. In 1938, he ran for a seat on the Indianapolis City-County Council. He lost both elections.

Working for Change

During the 1940s, Beckwith stayed very involved in Indianapolis. He worked to make sure that high school basketball tournaments were open to all schools in Indiana. This helped end racial segregation in state tournaments.

Beckwith also worked to get more African American police officers hired. He helped build a new community center at Douglass Park in 1943. He also worked to keep Lockefield Gardens as affordable homes for families with lower incomes. In 1943, he was allowed to practice law in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. That same year, he gave a radio speech called "The Negro Lawyer and the War." The American Bar Association later published this speech as a book.

Public Defender and Continued Activism

From 1951 to 1958, Beckwith worked as a public defender. This meant he represented people who could not afford a lawyer in Marion County, Indiana. In 1953, Beckwith and his first wife, Mahala Ashley Dickerson, took action. They asked the Public Service Commission of Indiana to stop a bus company from raising fares. They argued that the company was unfair in hiring bus drivers based on race. This led to an order against the company. Beckwith also spoke to the Indianapolis City Council in 1953. He asked for better pay for workers at the city's General Hospital.

Political Involvement

Besides his law work, Beckwith remained active in the Republican Party. He served as a local party leader and attended many state conventions. In 1956, he helped President Dwight D. Eisenhower's campaign in Indiana. He was also chosen as a delegate for Indiana at the Republican National Convention. From 1957 to 1961, Beckwith was part of the Indiana Commission on Aging and the Aged. This group worked on issues for older people.

Beckwith ran for several political offices but did not win. In 1959, he ran for city council as an independent candidate. In 1960, he became the first African American to run for President of the United States in a major party primary. He was one of six candidates in Indiana's Republican primary. He received about 20,000 votes. Richard M. Nixon won that primary. Beckwith also ran for mayor of Indianapolis in 1964. He also ran in the Republican Presidential Primary in Indiana that year. Barry Goldwater won the Indiana primary.

In 1964, Beckwith said that the Republican Party should improve its relationship with workers and minority groups. He believed that unfair treatment of African Americans in the South led to them needing welfare in cities like Chicago and Indianapolis.

Personal Life

In 1951, Beckwith married Mahala Ashley Dickerson. She was also a lawyer and a civil rights advocate. In 1948, Dickerson became the first African American female lawyer in Alabama. In 1951, she became the second black female lawyer in Indiana. Dickerson and Beckwith worked together for a year. After their divorce around 1958, she moved to Alaska. There, she was the first African American lawyer and one of the few women practicing law. Dickerson passed away in Wasilla, Alaska, in 2007.

In 1964, Beckwith married Bobbie Collins Goolsby. She was a former teacher in Indianapolis. She was also the president of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Board. She helped start and lead the Board of Directors of Martin University. She received the Sagamore of the Wabash award in 1985. She died in 2004 in a house fire.

Death and What He Left Behind

Frank Beckwith passed away in Indianapolis on August 24, 1965. He was sixty years old and died from a serious illness. He is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.

Beckwith is remembered as a lawyer, a community leader, and a social activist. He was the first African American to run in a major-party presidential primary in 1960. He also ran again in 1964.

Beckwith's work for civil rights in Indiana includes several important things. He helped create a law for free transportation for school children. He also worked to integrate the city. This included getting more minority officers on the police force and in hospitals. Beckwith also helped open the state's high school basketball tournaments to all schools. This ended racial segregation in those tournaments.

Honors and Tributes

• In 1953, The Indianapolis Recorder newspaper named him to its Roll of Honor.
• He received the Richard Allen Award from the African Methodist Church in 1954.
• In 1970, Salem Village Park in Indianapolis was renamed in Beckwith's honor.