heights and delicious music greeted the gifts. spacious dressing rooms were provided and several maids were in attendance to take care of the wrappings. four parlors were thrown together forming a magnificent salon. clover adams in her book described the decorations this is way. quote, the long parlors were masked with orange trees, magnolias and banks of flowers that completely covered several of the doors. even the chandeliers were a mass of flowers, end quote. typical similar events held at the hotel, attendees included members of the senate, congress, cabinet, supreme court, military, and official representative its of all the foreign. elegance of the hotel operations mirrored the standards of the teenest world class establishments. in fact, ever president from

buchanan to roosevelt partook of the wormley hospitality. president garfield attended a dinner the night before his inauguration. even at the end of president garfield's life after the assassination attempt, wormley catered to him at the white house by preparing his meals and nursing him during his suffering. national newspaper accounts report how james prepared a concoction known as beef tea. in those accounts, the papers report on how james was always called upon to attend to our greatest leaders of the 19th century to lend aid and comfort. the hotel was the accommodation of choice for politics and wealthy elite of the world. mrs. astor stayed there at the occasion of the a party griffin at the white house. prince made polian, hamilton fish and all the aristocrats in new york engaged rooms during

their visit into the city. the chief lord justice of england reserved rooms there in 1884. in a book by another european author, the hotel was described as one of the quietest most elegant and most comfortable in the federal capital. the proprietor a colored man of gentle manners and great administrative abilities. james was even an inventor and was one of the earliest blacks to receive a patent from the u.s. patent office in 1881. unfortunate unfortunately, james died in boston in 1884. it was reported in most every metropolitan paper in the nation. the funeral was held attended by a crowd reportedly of 2,000 people. the casket was attended by 16 pallbear

pallbearers. it was two miles long blocking traffic along h street. the remembrances of his life included comments from men like william cork ran stating washington had lost its best and finest citizen.ran stating washington had lost its best and finest citizen. one article described how he had send the widow of john floyd and other ladies large boxes of delicacies even when they were old and poor. another article is a story where james kept a framed picture of a hack accompanied by two dishonored promissory notes over the desk in the lobby. these notes only some of the notes were paid. when asked about the hanging, he would tell the tale how he kept

it in front of everyone to remind all of his former disgrace. his life was replete of tales of how his word was his bond and that discretion was truly his code of honor. in honor of the memory of james wormley, an elementary school was dedicated in 1885. this building still exists and is located in georgetown on prospect and has been converted to condominiums. the hotel was continued through december 1893, first by all three sons an ultimately just by james t. wormley. this final decade was part of its greatest era of prominence. secretary blaine hosted a recession of 400. the entertainment was provided by the u.s. marine band which was conducted by america's most recognized band leader, john phillip sousa. the hotel was famous for the

business and society leading sectors by having as regular patrons such persons as finance ears who had invested $15 million in u.s. railroads, august belmont and governor stanford of california.million august belmont and governor stanford of california. i ask now we reflect on how generally the role of blacks has been routinely diminished when read through the prism of the biassed attitudes of the prevailing society of the day. if we relied upon commonly held beliefs, blacks had no role except as slaves or subservient beings forever living in the background of the community. while i have skimmed the surface of the facts gleaned to date, it is clear that we have failed our citizens by neglecting on recognize the achievement of people like the wormleys, cooks and others, who in hair daily lives fought every day for the advancement of all people. my sincere graduate tud it to

the white house his or cal association for recognizing that people of color did more than live lives of receiver tud and rebellion, but achieved very significant accomplishments, not because of their color, but in spite of that god given gift. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. [ applause [ smchlt. >> thank you, don. the second speaker in our session this afternoon is shelly stokes-hammo stokes-hammond, a develop and public affairs officer at the lee howard university library. last year she received a master's degree in historic presentation and as anned a junk professor there, it was my pleasure to advisory a field

work project that will form the basis of her presentation this afternoon. please welcome shelly to the podium. thank you. >> good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. i would also like to thank neal and bill for the support to share but the story of the depriests and not so secret tea at the white house. when it comes to american

history, there are many significant days. some uplifting and inspirational, others are more disappointing and disheartening. most people remember the year 1929 for the devastating crash of the stock market in october. and the great depression that followed. however, three other days that year, march 4th, april 15th, and june 12th, also capture our imagination. on those days both heartening and disheartening efblts occurred that are tied to oscar is an ton depriest and his wife who once lived in a nation's capital at 419 u street northwest and these days are also connected with a nat so secret tea that 34mrs. depriest attended at the invitation of wife of herbert hoover.so secret tea that mrs. depriest attended at the invitation of wife of herbert hoover. march 4th was a cold and rainy day for presidential

inauguration. nevertheless, herbert hooverer and his wife arrived in spirits for the ceremonies. he in his top hat and she in a plum velvet outat the time. as the rain poured down, chief justice taft administered the oath shortly after 11:00 in the morning. it seems that congressman wlaekt depriest was present at the ceremony based on artifacts shared by his great grandson whom you'll hear from a little later today. the inaugural day full of hope, promise and festivities ended with a ball. a few weeks later on april 15, 1929, it was also a rain me day

when depriest became the first african-american to the sworn into congress. the washington rib bun reported the crowd displayed more than the usual curiosity. this was much craning of necks, question and an air of expect ta expect tansity which increased as the time of the opening approached. congressman depriest was elected by the citizens of cook county. with black representation absent in the congress for 28 years, the nation's 12 million black americans at that time looked to congressman depriest as their own. black representation in congress did not occur until 101 years after the first congress met on march 4th, 1979, and only after the civil war had ended in 1865.

the first african-american to serve in congress was a republican who represented mississippi. the first black to serve in the house of representatives was joseph h. rainy, a republican also representing south carolina.ey, a republican also representing south carolina. between 1870 and 1877, 17 african-americans were elected members of congress, all from the new reconstruction governments. all but two were born in the south, eight were born this slavery. the greatest number, seven, serving at any one time representing in this photograph until 1969 when there were a total of nine members seated. for most african americans, the election of congressman depriest was like a dream come true.

the chicago defender designed the swearing in of mr. depriest as a fulfillment of a prophecy. why? because the words expressed in the house floor by congressman h. white of north carolina in 1901, he said this mr. chairman is perhaps the knee grow's temporary farewell in the american congress, but let me say phoenix like, he will rise up some day and come again. congressman white was the last black to serve in congress until depriest was elected. up in the visitor's gallery, which was segregated at that time, sat the family of congressman depriest. according to the "chicago tribune," the words often heard whiserred in the gallery were, there he is, when people spotted depriest. to overt attempts to keep depriest from being seated, the speaker of the house administered the oath to all

members at once rather than individually. long worth's decision was influenced by his wife, alice voos svelte longworth, who has been urgedy her good friend who was also another newly elected member from illinois. depriest's name was the first on the list of the illinois representatives when the roll call commenced. he stood 6-feet tall, weighed 200 pounds, had a light complexion, sandy hair and blue eyes. he was sworn in at 1:45 p.m., the session adjourned by 2:00. afterwards, he returned to his office and his desk was banked with flowers and many friends and well wishers. but congressman george pritchard, a democrat from north carolina, refused to accept his office next door. but representative laguardia of

new york rebuked such practices. so who was this man who made history in the 45halls of congrs that kay? oscar depriest was born in florence, alabama on march 9th, 1871. his parents, alexander and mary, were former slaves. his father made a living a as i'm sister and foarmer. alexander was a friend and supporter of reconstruction congressman rapier.after a white republican was shot, the family decided to leave florence and my great to celina, kansas, in 1878. at that time, oscar was just seven years old. oscar received some education in a congregational church in fl

floren florence, but graduated from elementary school in celina. ten years later at the age of 17, he moved to dayton, ohio. at the achblgge of 18, he moved chicago. in chicago, he earned a living as ain't appear, decorator, plaserror and eventually a realtor. congressman depriest political career began with his member sip on the board of commissioners of cook county, illinois. and then extended to his involvement in the chicago city council from 1915 to 1917. he was the city's first blacking ald

alderman and represented ward two. when his predecessor in congress died suddenly of a heart attack after having secured the republican nomination to his 13th term, the republican machine backed depriest. telegrams from all over the world poured in to chicago for him. not much is known about the young life of congressman depriest's wife, jesse. however, she was born september 3rd, 1870, in rockford, illinois and was the daughter of james and emma williams who were both originally from pennsylvania. james was born in 1840, worked as a foarmer, and was registere as a white man on the 1880 federal sentence. emma was born in 1839 and listed as a homemaker for her family. it is known that she was a music teacher before she and oscar married. with jim crow conditions for

bailing in both the north and south in 1929, congressman and mrs. depriest resided in segregated communities misboth chicago and the nation's capital. their home in chicago was located at 4536 up through 4358 south parkway which is now known as martin luther king drive. although they owned the entire complex, they occupied the second floor of the three sorry building from 1929 up until their deaths. the home that the depriests purchased in washington, d.c. at 419 u street northwest was located in an exclusively black neighborhood. they bought their home from mrs. susan brown, who was a widow. she and her former husband had owned the home since at least 1910. while living at 419 u street,

hiram worked as an elevator operator and susan was a telephone operator. it's interesting to note the difference in the types of employment for blacks who were living on the 400 block of la droit park versus the positions blacks held in 1929 when the tee priests joined the community. when the depriested arrived, they joined a number of other prominent black families such as dr. wilkinson who lived at 406 u street, clara who lived at 414 u street. she was the a farm cyst apharma daughter of john smith. there was percy a. roy who was a craf craf craftsman. in 1910, the browns neighbors worked as a dining car waiter and a maid.

other neighbors of the browns worked as a traveling salesman, janitor, messenger for the navy, porter at a hotel, a barber, a chauffeur and a map folder. ledroit park was founded as an exclusively white neighborhood. t proprietors only accepted those of the highest type. from the very beginning, rod iron gates, wooden fences and wooden boards were erected to a seclude them from a black neighborhood by howard university. washmen also controlled access to and from the neighborhood against intruders and undesirables. they south to capture a rural

picturesque park like setting during the 19th century. a house at 419 u street is an italian villa in the fashion of andrew jackson downing and these files were popular as a result of his book. other popular styles in ledroit park influenced by downing and employed were gothic rerival, second empire, east lake, and queen end. some of the special features of the homes in ledroit park were halls and stairways, liberal-size rooms, pantries, china closets, bay windows, balconies, decorative tile roofs with ginger bread trim, velvet wallpaper, and amenities such as gas, water, and sewage.

when barber langdon lived in ledroit park along with ben j min butter worth from ohio. whites began moving out of ledroit park shortly after blacks started moving in. also advancements in transportation made residential life possible in the outskirts of the city. the white community was stunned when the first black family capital hill barber ok taif ya williams, his wife and daughter moved into 338 u street. someone fired a bullet into one of their windows. the second family moved in. they were the very famous robert terrell who was the first municipal court judge appointed by president taft and also mary church terrell who is legendary for her civil rights work and her work with the women's

suffrage movement. by 1913 there were 800 to 900 blacks who owned or rented home in the area and the community was supported by a black-owned grocery store and other business businesses. more and more blacks from southern communities were moving into d.c. as part of the great migration. with the racial shift in the nation's capital came greater conflict and more and more segregation. in 1919 racial riot os cured in the country including chicago and washington, d.c. depriest was considered a hero in chicago during their riots for repealing making trips into the chicago stockyards to rescue black workers who were trapped inside. he also broke through hostile white crowds to get meat for people living in the black community. at the unveiling of the lincoln memorial in 1922, blacks were

herded into a separate section away from the main seating area. a marine used racial epithets in addressing them. even the keynote speaker dr. robert moton the second president of tus key gee university was sectioned into this area. he compared the may flower destined for massachusetts and the slave ship destined for jamestown as the forces of liberty and bondage constantly contending for america's soul. an editorial in the chicago defender pleaded with song, prayer, bold, and truthful speech, with faith in god and country, later on let us dedicate this temple thus far only open. some believe that dedication occurred in 1963 with the march in washington and martin luther king's i have a dream speech. a silent parade by 1,500 blacks in 1925 in washington to promote

lynchings in the south received little attention in the press. however, there was extensive coverage of the 25,000 or more who participated in a kkk rally. this then was the nature of the social and plolitical climate i the united states in 1929, which set the stage for the national controversy that involved the depriest who were living at 419 u street northwest and the hoovers living at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. it was a tradition for the first lady to invite congressional wives to a tea at the white house. president hoover noted in his memoirs that his wife was determined to treat mrs. delaware priest equally inspite of the racial attitudes in 1929. hoover had succeeded in getting elected with the support of southern democrats, who most likely would not condone as blacks being conceived as equals

at the white house. the dilemma was this. should the first lady hold one tea with all the congressional wives and risk a boycott by southerners or should the hoovers risk being socially offensive by canceling the event altogeth altogether? in her childhood, mrs. hoover had african-american friends in california, but she was also exposed to different social cultures when her family lived in texas. as an adult, she helped to finance the the education of a young african-american woman who was a maid because she believed she recognized her leadership potential. she and her husband refused to sign a restrictive covenant to prevent blacks from buying or renting a home they purchased in d.c. she was also active with the girl scouts and did try to uphold those values. several staff members of the white house were involved in planning for the tea. miss mary randall shs the social

secretary of mrs. hoover, wrote to walter newton, an important aid to the president, for advice. she explained the question arises to what can be done about the family of our new colored representative mrs. hoover wishes for me to remind you we must not think of only this occasion but what is to be done during the entire term of the representative. no doubt mrs. hoover and her staff considered the public outcry over president teddy roosevelt's invitation to booker t. washington to the white house. so it was decided that rather than having one large tea for everyone, first lady hoover would have several teas. they had five in all. at the first four, there were approximately 180 to 200 persons in attendance. then the final tea of 15 persons

was the one in which mrs. depriest was invited. there were several different lists of drafts of guests who were to come, and the final draft shows mrs. hoover's sister, her secretaries, supporters of her husband's from different representatives. an invitation was sent to mrs. depriest on june 5th, the date of the fourth tea. it was emphasized to be very confidential about this and to caution the messenger from refraining giving any information about it. the event was pleasant and held in the green room of the white house.

however, afterwards there was a storm of criticism in the press mostly from the south and also some state legislatures issued resolutions of condemnation. for today there are 1,000 letters on file for mrs. hoover at the hoover presidential library and almost as many for the president as well. just as an example, one letter says "mrs. hoover, you remember that florida, virginia, north carolina, tennessee, and texas gave mr. hoover a large majority last fall. well, we thought we were putting a real white lady in the white house. didn't even dream you would disgrace the white house by association with negros." but there were also supporters and they were mostly northern and liberal periodicals, but also individuals.

a person by the name of a.e. bruce says "mrs. hoover, we have been watching with much interest the newspaper accounts of recent occurrences at the white house. fortunately, or unfortunately, we are white folks, but we have never been able to convince ourselves that the color of our skin had any particular relation to the size of our brains or the use to which we put them. and we are quite sure in our own minds that the nondiscriminatory action which you have recently taken should merit only the approval of all right-minded people." and how did the congressman respond? he was not one to shy away from an opportunity and i'm sure depriest is going to give you an idea of his personality. but when asked about his opinion, he said "i am delighted beyond measure