J. LeRoy Baxter facts for kids
James LeRoy Baxter (born June 13, 1881) was a dentist and a politician in New Jersey. He was chosen to represent Essex County, New Jersey in the New Jersey General Assembly in 1928. The General Assembly is a group of people who make laws for the state.
Baxter was born in Newark, New Jersey on June 13, 1881. He went to Barringer High School. His father, James Miller Baxter, was a school principal in Newark for 45 years.
Contents
A Voice for Change
Joining the Assembly
James LeRoy Baxter was elected as a member of the Republican Party. He was one of 12 representatives from Essex County. At that time, the General Assembly had 60 members in total.
Standing Up for Rights
While he was in the Assembly, James LeRoy Baxter was the only Black member. He worked with the NAACP. The NAACP is an organization that works for equal rights for Black people.
He and the NAACP worked together to stop a proposed law. This law would have made it illegal for people of different backgrounds to marry each other. Baxter strongly opposed this unfair idea.
Life After the Assembly
Family Life
In 1929, James LeRoy Baxter married Ernest Mae McCarroll. She was a doctor from Alabama. After they married, she moved to Newark.
Changing Political Views
Before the 1932 United States presidential election, Baxter spoke at a meeting. He told a group of 250 Black Democrats that the Republican Party had not done enough for the Black community. Historically, many Black voters had supported the Republican Party.
Baxter suggested that people should support the Democratic candidates in the upcoming election instead. He believed this would bring more jobs and benefits to the Black community.
Continuing Civil Rights Work
In 1940, a magazine called The Crisis reported on a meeting. James LeRoy Baxter was the president of a local civil rights organization branch at that time. This shows he continued to work for equal rights.
