Josiah T. Settle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Josiah T. Settle
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Settle in 1887
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| Born | September 30, 1850 |
| Died | August 21, 1915 (aged 64) Memphis, Tennessee, United States
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| Alma mater | Howard University |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
| Political party | Republican |
Josiah "Joe" Thomas Settle (born September 30, 1850 – died August 21, 1915) was an important lawyer and politician. He worked in Washington, D.C., Sardis, Mississippi, and Memphis, Tennessee. He was part of the very first group of students to graduate from Howard University in 1872.
In 1875, he moved to Mississippi. There, he was chosen to be a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1883. Later, in 1885, he moved to Memphis. He became an Assistant Attorney-General in Shelby County. He worked in this role for two years before starting his own law practice.
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Early Life of Josiah Settle
Josiah "Joe" Thomas Settle was born on September 30, 1850. He was born into slavery in the Cumberland Mountains of East Tennessee or North Carolina. His mother's name was Nancy Settle. His father, also named Josiah, owned the family. At the time Josiah was born, his father was moving their home from Rockingham, North Carolina to Mississippi.
His father was a wealthy man. In the 1850s, Josiah Sr. decided to free Nancy and their children. This act of freeing slaves is called manumission. Because free Black people were not allowed to live in Mississippi, they moved to Hamilton, Ohio, in March 1856. However, Josiah Sr. still owned his plantation and slaves in Mississippi and spent part of the year there.
In 1858, Josiah's parents got married. When the American Civil War started in 1861, Josiah Sr. sold his land and slaves in Mississippi. He then moved to Ohio permanently and supported the Union side in the war. He passed away in 1869.
Josiah Settle's Education
Josiah Settle first went to schools near Hamilton, Ohio. He faced unfair treatment there until a new teacher arrived. In the spring of 1866, Settle began attending a preparatory school in Oberlin, Ohio. He then started at Oberlin College in 1868.
While at Oberlin, Settle played on a baseball team called the Resolutes. This team was special because it included both African American and white players. The Resolutes were very successful, only losing games to the Cleveland Forest Citys.
The next year, Settle joined the sophomore class at Howard University. He graduated from Howard in 1872. He was part of the university's very first graduating class. During his last two years at Howard, Settle worked for the education division of the Freedmen's Bureau. He also became a clerk for the Washington, DC House of Delegates.
After graduating, he joined the law department at Howard and became a lawyer in Washington, D.C. He also taught at the university. Settle was active in D.C. politics. He worked for the Board of Public Works and the Board of Audits. He also served as a trustee for the county schools.
Josiah Settle's Career
Working in Washington, D.C. and Mississippi
Josiah Settle supported Ulysses S. Grant in the 1872 Presidential Election. He campaigned for Grant in Maryland and Ohio. In March 1875, he moved back to Mississippi. He was then allowed to practice law in that state.
He settled in Sardis in Panola County. There, he started a law firm with D. T. J. Matthews. That summer, he married Theresa T. Vogelsang in Washington, D.C. Theresa's parents were important freed people in Maryland.
In August 1875, Settle was nominated to be the District Attorney for the Twelfth Judicial District in Mississippi. However, the 1875 election was won by Democrats, and Settle lost. He was chosen as a delegate for the Republican National Conventions in 1876 and 1880. These conventions chose the Republican candidates for president.
In 1882, Settle was encouraged to run for Congress. Instead, he supported James Ronald Chalmers. Settle became the chairman of the Republican Congressional Executive Committee and campaigned hard. In 1883, Settle ran for a seat in the state legislature as an independent. He won by a large number of votes. He was a very good speaker in the legislature. However, he decided to serve only one term. After that, he moved to Memphis to focus on his law career.
Working in Memphis
In the spring of 1885, soon after moving to Memphis, Josiah Settle was appointed Assistant Attorney-General in Shelby County. He held this job until January 1887. His law firm was called Humbert, Griggs, Settle, and Matthews.
From 1886 to 1887, the famous journalist and activist Ida B. Wells lived with Settle and his wife. Settle was like a father figure to her. Wells and Theresa became close friends. However, Wells later moved out. She felt the Settles were being unfair about rent. Wells later criticized Settle in her newspaper, Free Speech. She disagreed with his actions in some community matters.
In 1905, Settle and fellow lawyer Benjamin F. Booth represented Mary Morrison. She was challenging a state law that forced segregation on street cars. This meant Black and white people had to sit in separate sections. The judge, however, ruled that the state law was legal.
In 1900, Settle shared his experience as a Black lawyer. He said, "We have faced unreasoning prejudice. We have found, not our clients, but ourselves on trial, and not ourselves alone, but the whole race with us." This shows the challenges he faced. However, in the early 1910s, Booker T. Washington wrote that Settle told him he did not face discrimination from judges, lawyers, or juries in his legal work.
In 1906, Settle, along with Robert Reed Church, M. L. Clay, and T. H. Hayes, started the Solvent Bank and Trust Company in Memphis.
Other Activities and Interests
Josiah Settle was a member of the Episcopal Church. In Memphis, he attended Emmanuel Episcopal Church. In 1910, he helped create a Memphis chapter of Sigma Pi Phi. This was a fraternity for African American men.
In Memphis, Settle was part of a group of important African American leaders. This group included Robert Reed Church, his daughter Mary Church Terrell, and her husband Robert Heberton Terrell.
Settle was the first president of the National Negro Bar Association (NNBA). He served from 1905 until 1913. The NNBA worked with the National Negro Business League, which was started by Booker T. Washington.
On March 20, 1890, Settle married Fannie McCullough. She was the director of music at Lemoyne Normal Institute.
Death and Family
Josiah Settle passed away on August 21, 1915, in Memphis. He had been ill for a long time. He had two sons named Josiah T. and Temoy. His sister, Cornelia A., married James Matthew Townsend in 1871.
