Jesse D. Locker
Jesse D. Locker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Ambassador to Liberia | |
| In office October 16, 1953 – April 10, 1955 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Edward Richard Dudley |
| Succeeded by | Richard Lee Jones |
| Member of the Cincinnati City Council | |
| In office 1941–1953 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 31, 1891 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | April 10, 1955 (aged 63) Monrovia, Liberia |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | Howard University |
Jesse Dwight Locker (May 31, 1891, College Hill, Cincinnati – April 10, 1955, Monrovia, Liberia) was an attorney, politician and, when he was appointed the American ambassador to Liberia,[1] the second African American appointed as ambassador.[2] His father, Laban Locker, was the first black minister in Ohio to be ordained in the Christian Church. Jesse graduated valedictorian of his class at College Hill High School and graduated from Howard University with a law degree in 1945. He returned to Cincinnati and spent 35 years practicing law. He was elected to the Cincinnati City Council, on the Republican ticket, in 1941, serving almost 12 years. He was the first African American elected to the council. In 1951, Locker was elected its president. Locker also was president of the segregated Hamilton County Bar Association for Negro Lawyers.[2]
While ambassador, Locke led “the multi-faceted negotiations between the private sector (Pan American and US Airlines), the government of Liberia, and the United States, with regards to the operations of the Roberts Field airport, the first international airport in Liberia.”[2]
Locker suffered a stroke on April 4, 1955, in Monrovia and he died there on April 10.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES, 1952–1954, AFRICA AND SOUTH ASIA, VOLUME XI, PART 1". Office of the Historian. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
- ^ a b c d McLellan, Carlton (April 2015). "JESSIE DWIGHT LOCKER (1891-1955)". BlackPast. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
External links
[edit]| Commissioner and Consul General | |
|---|---|
| Minister Resident/Consul General | |
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | |
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | |
- 1891 births
- 1955 deaths
- Lawyers from Cincinnati
- Ohio Republicans
- African-American diplomats
- Ambassadors of the United States to Liberia
- Howard University alumni
- Cincinnati City Council members
- 20th-century Ohio politicians
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 20th-century African-American politicians
- 20th-century African-American lawyers