Gerald Talbot facts for kids

Gerald Edgerton Talbot (born October 28, 1931) is an important American leader. He is known for his work in civil rights, as an author, and as a politician from Portland, Maine. Talbot made history as the first Black person to serve in the state legislature of Maine.

He also helped start the Portland, Maine, chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He was its first president. Later, he led the Maine State Board of Education. In 2020, an elementary school in Portland was renamed the Gerald Edgerton Talbot Community School in his honor.

Early Life and Family

Growing Up in Bangor

Gerald Talbot was born on October 28, 1931, in Bangor, Maine. His father, Wilmont Edgerton Talbot, was a head chef. His mother, Arvella Luella (McIntyre) Talbot, was a homemaker and helped organize community events.

Gerald was the oldest of five children. His family had lived in Maine for many generations. He even traced his family history back to Abraham Talbett, a Black soldier in the Revolutionary War.

He went to Hannibal Hamlin Grammar School and Lagen Street Grammar School. He graduated from Bangor High School in 1952. While playing football there, he met Anita Cummings, who would later become his wife.

Serving in the Military

After high school, Talbot worked with his father at the Bangor House Hotel. Then, he moved to Portland, his future wife's hometown. He wanted to join the military because no one in his close family had served before.

He tried to join the Marines but was not accepted because he was color-blind. So, he went back to Bangor and joined the United States Army in 1953. He was sent to Fort Dix and then Fort Devens. He asked twice to go to Korea, but instead, he served for a year in Tulle, Greenland.

Settling in Portland

After leaving the Army, Talbot and his wife settled in Portland. Finding a home was very hard for his family. This struggle inspired him to work for fair housing laws throughout his life.

In 1956, Talbot worked at the Community Center in Portland. He had several different jobs during those years. He later explained that because he was "light-skinned Black," some employers didn't know his background. But once they found out, he would often lose his job.

In 1964, Talbot worked at the Maine Printing Company. In 1966, he started working for the Guy Gannett Publishing Company. He stayed there until he retired in 1991.

Fighting for Civil Rights

March on Washington

Gerald Talbot was one of several people from Maine who attended the famous 1963 March on Washington. This experience greatly influenced his goals and his work for civil rights.

In 2013, he said that after the march, people had to go home and fight for jobs and education. He believed that was what most people who attended the march did.

Leading the NAACP in Portland

In 1964, Talbot helped start the Portland chapter of the NAACP. He was chosen as its first president and served from 1964 to 1966. People saw him as a good choice because he was already known as an activist. He had also been involved with the NAACP before.

Soon after the chapter officially started, Talbot and the treasurer, Linwood Young, went to Washington, D.C. They represented the Portland chapter at the NAACP's yearly convention.

Fighting for Fair Housing

Talbot played a key role in passing the Maine Fair Housing Bill in 1965. In the early 1960s, it was very hard for Black people in Maine to find housing without facing discrimination. NAACP chapters across the state began pushing for fair housing laws in 1963.

With the new Portland branch and national support for civil rights, Talbot and other Maine activists made progress. In 1965, two lawmakers, David Graham and Rodney Ross, sponsored a bill about housing discrimination. The bill passed, and in May 1965, Governor John Reed signed it into law. Talbot and other advocates were there.

In 1968, Talbot successfully sued a landlord for housing discrimination. This was the first case under Maine's new Fair Housing Law. The landlord had to pay a fine of $75.

Connecting with Other Leaders

Throughout the 1960s, Talbot traveled across the United States. He helped register voters and met with other civil rights leaders. One important trip was to Laurel, Mississippi, in 1965.

In 1968, Governor Ken Curtis appointed Talbot to a state task force on human rights. Talbot also served two more terms as president of the Portland NAACP (1970–1971 and 1978–1980). He was also a vice president of the New England Regional NAACP.

Writing History

In 2006, Talbot and co-author H. H. (Harriet) Price published a book. It was called Maine's Visible Black History: The First Chronicle of Its People. This book helped share the history of Black people in Maine.

Political Career

Becoming a Legislator

In 1972, Talbot watched a debate in the Maine Legislature about human rights. He heard one lawmaker say that "poor people should struggle." Talbot felt that more people like him were needed in the Legislature. He decided to run for office just days before the deadline.

In the 1972 Portland Democratic election, there were over twenty candidates. Talbot was listed second-to-last on the ballot. Voters had to choose eleven candidates. Even though his district in Portland had only about 250 Black voters, Talbot won by about 1,700 votes. He became the first Black person ever elected to the Maine legislature.

Serving in the Maine House

Talbot also became the first Black person to lead a legislative committee. He chaired the Human Resources Committee for two terms. He was also the first Black speaker pro-tem of the Maine House of Representatives. He served three terms, from 1972 to 1978.

While serving in the Legislature, Talbot also had to work at his job at Gannett Publishing. He needed to work at least five hours each night to keep his insurance. He would leave Portland for Augusta around 7:00 am. He would return between 6:30–9:00 pm, then work his five-hour shift before going home to sleep.

Talbot sponsored the first gay rights legislation in Maine. This was an amendment to the Maine Human Rights Act in 1977. He also sponsored a bill to remove offensive names from places in Maine. This bill passed, taking out a hurtful word from a dozen place names.

Other important laws Talbot worked on included:

• Improving conditions for migrant workers.
• Supporting the rights of Native American tribes.
• Strengthening fair housing laws.
• Making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a state holiday.

After the Legislature

After his time in the Legislature, Talbot continued to serve the community. He was on the Maine State Board of Education from 1980 to 1984. He was the chair during his last year. He also served on other important boards. These included the Maine Vocational Technical Institute's Board of Trustees and the University of New England's Board of Trustees.

He also worked with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). He was on their Minority Affairs committee at both local and national levels. In 1990, Talbot joined the Muskie Board of Visitors at the University of Southern Maine.

Personal Life

Gerald Talbot and Anita Cummings got married in 1954 while he was still in the Army. They have four daughters: Sharon Renee Verloo, Rachel Talbot Ross, Regina Phillips, and Robin Talbot.

His daughter, Rachel Talbot Ross, was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2016. In 2022, she became the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives. She was the first African-American to hold that position. In 2024, she was elected to the Maine State Senate.

Another daughter, Regina Phillips, is a professor and works with schools in Westbrook, Maine. In 2022, Regina was elected to the Portland City Council.

Honors and Awards

The Talbot collection is kept at the University of Southern Maine's Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine at the Glickman Library in Portland.

Throughout his life, Talbot collected many items. These included books, posters, photos, and personal papers. He wanted to document Black history in Maine and the United States. He often traveled around the state with his collection. He visited schools, community centers, and churches. He also created an annual display at the Maine State House.

In 1995, Talbot gave his collection to the University of Southern Maine. It is now part of the African American Collection at the Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine.

In 1980, Talbot received a regional Jefferson Award for Public Service. The University of Southern Maine gave him an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters in 1995. They also named an auditorium after him. At that time, it was the only public space in Maine named after a Black person.

On September 10, 2019, the university announced the creation of the Talbot Fellowship. This fellowship supports studies on race in Maine. In 2010, Talbot received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine.

Two days after his 90th birthday in 2021, Second Street Park in Bangor was renamed Talbot Park. He was also given the keys to the city at the ceremony.

Gerald E. Talbot Community School

The Gerald E. Talbot Community School is located in the Riverton neighborhood of Portland, Maine.

In February 2019, the Portland City Council asked the Portland School Board to consider renaming a school after Talbot. On February 5, 2020, the Portland School Board voted to change the name of Riverton Elementary School. It became the Gerald E. Talbot Community School.

On August 31, 2020, the school was officially renamed. Gerald Talbot and his grandson, Demetrius Brown-Phillips, who was a student at the school, cut the ribbon.

Books by Gerald Talbot

• Maine's Visible Black History: The First Chronicle of Its People by H. H. Price and Gerald E. Talbot, with 42 contributing writers | Tilbury House Publishers | ISBN: 978-0-88448-275-8