George French Ecton

George French Ecton

Ecton in 1887
Born 1846
Winchester, Kentucky, U.S.
Died 1929
Chicago, Illinois
Occupation waiter, politician
Political party Republican
Religion Baptist

George French Ecton was a civil rights activist and Illinois' second black state legislator. He was born a slave in Winchester, Kentucky in 1846 to Antonio Ecton and Martha George. In June, 1865, after the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery, George and a friend received free papers in the mail and set off to escape slavery, as they were still being held in bondage. When they arrived in Cincinnati, Ohio they were hired as deck hands on the steam packet, Sherman, working a route between Cincinnati and Wheeling, West Virginia. Later, in Cincinnati, George took a job at a number of hotels, including the Broadway House, Walnut Street House, Burnett House, and Spencer House. He became ill with small-pox while at the Walnut Street House, but recovered. He also began to attend night school taught by Luella Brown.[1] He was reported to be a college graduate.[2]

On October 28, 1873 he moved to Chicago and took charge of the dining room at the Hotel Woodruff.[1] In 1877 he married Patti R. Allen, also from Winchester.[3] In Chicago, Ecton became active in Republican politics.[3] He held his job as a waitor until being elected to the Illinois General Assembly,[1] serving from 1887 to 1889.[4] Ecton was elected from the third district to the Illinois House of Representatives, and replaced John W. E. Thomas, Illinois' first black state senator.[5] He introduced legislation that protected former slaves. After his term, he became owner of a baseball league.[4] He continued to be a leader in Chicago Republican politics into the 1910s.[6]

In Chicago, he was a member of Bethesda Baptist Church and was a freemason.[1] He died in 1929 in Chicago.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Simmons, William J., and Henry McNeal Turner. Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. GM Rewell & Company, 1887. p358-360
  2. ↑ The Candidates, Inter Ocean (Chicago, Illinois) October 31, 1886, page 6, accessed October 3, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6880449/the_candidates_inter_ocean_chicago/
  3. 1 2 3 Smith, Gerald L., Karen Cotton McDaniel, and John A. Hardin, eds. The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky, 2015. p161
  4. 1 2 Williams, Erma Brooks. Political Empowerment of Illinois' African-American State Lawmakers from 1877 to 2005. University Press of America, 2008. p3
  5. ↑ Joens, David A. From Slave to State Legislator: John WE Thomas, Illinois' First African American Lawmaker. SIU Press, 2012. p158-163
  6. ↑ Special Announcement, Broad Ax (Chicago, Illinois), Saturday, August 3, 1918, Page: 3
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