rutherford b. hays and samuel tilton, marking the end of reconstruction. they took up a several month residency at the establishment of their friend james. even after they moved in to their home across 16th street from here, they continued to patronize the hotel along with their friends john and clarence where their social group became known as the five of hearts. hayes called upon james to assist in personal needs he had throughout his time in the city. the hotel had become so prominent in the social circle of the elite in d.c., that in the early part of 1878, the spanish minister hosted the spanish ball at the hotel, which was declared one of the most elegant events ever held in washington. the scene was described in the following manner.

while approaching, an awning was arranged forming a cover from the street to the front door. within the hotel brilliant lights and the sounds of delicious music greeted the guests. spacious dressing rooms were provided in par hour lors in th of the hall, where several maids were in attendance to take care of the wraps. 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 represents representative its of all the foreign. elegance of the hotel operations mirrored the standards of the

world class establishments. in fact, every president from buchanan to teddy 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 had become the accommodation of choice for not only the leading politics, but also the wealthy elite of the world. mrs. astor stayed there at the occasion of a party given

at the white house. prince napolean, 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, mr. wormley, 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. unfortunately, james had become ill and died in boston in 1884. this tragic turn of events was reported in almost every metropolitan paper in the nation. the funeral was held in the hotel attended by a crowd reportedly of 2,000 people. the casket was attended by 16

pal bearers of the most prominent member in the city. it was two miles long blocking traffic along h street. the remembrances of his life included comments from men like the great philanthropist, william corcoran, stating that washington had lost its best and finest citizen. many attempted to describe his character. one described how he had sent the widow of john floyd and other ladies large boxes of delicacies even when they were old and poor. another article describing ing his renowned integrity 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 were used to buy is harness set in 1847.

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 and how his integrity was paramount to him. 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 for the blacks in d.c. was dedicated in 1885. this building still exists and is located in georgetown on prospect near 33rd street and has been converted to condominiums. after his death, the hotel was continued through december 1893, first by all three sons and ultimately just by james t. wormley. this final decade was part of its greatest era of prominence. secretary blaine hosted a reception of 400 to honor the french. 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 distinguished persons as baron erlanger, who had invest ed 15 million in u.s. railroads, 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 in the history of life in lafayette square except as 75s or subservient beings while l e 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 their daily lives fought every day for the advancement of all people. my sincere gratitude to the white house historical association for recognizing that people of color did more than live lives of servitude and brellion, but strove and achieved very significant accomplishments, not because of their color, but in spite of their god given gift. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. [ applause ] >> thank you, don. the second speaker in our session this afternoon is shelly stokes-hammond, a development and public affairs officer at lee howard university library. last year she received a master's degree in historic

preservation and as an adjunct professor, it was my pleasure to advise her on a field work project that will form the basis of her presentation this afternoon. please welcome shelly to the podium. thank you. [ applause ] >> good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. i would also like to thank neal hortsman, john riley 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 events occurred that are in eextricabl tied to oscar stanton 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 not so secret tea that mrs. depriest attended at the white house, at the invitation of wife of herbert hoover.

the first special day, march 4th was a cold and rainy day for presidential inauguration. nevertheless, president-elect, herbert hoover and his wife arrived in spirits for the ceremonies. he in his top hat and she in a plum velvet outfit. as the rain poured down, chief justice william howard taft, administer administered the oath shortly after 11:00 in the morning. it seems that congressman elect 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 rainy day when depriest became the first african-american to the sworn into congress. the washington tribune reported the crowd displayed more than the usual amount of curiosity always attended upon this most national event. there was much craning of necks, hum of expect and and questioning and an air of expectancy 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, 1789 and only after the civil war had ended in 1865. the first african-american to serve in congress was a senator highland rebels, a republican who represented mississippi. the first black to serve in the house of representatives was joseph h. rainey, a republican also representing south carolina. between 1870 and 1887, 17 african-americans were elected members of congress, all from the new reconstruction governments of the former confederate states. all but two were born in the south, just under half were born in 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 defined 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, mr. chairman, is perhaps the negro'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 whispered 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 nicklas long worth, administered the oath to all members at once rather than individually. longworth's decision was influenced by his wife, alice roosevelt longworth, who has been urged by her good friend congresswoman ruth mccormick, 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. at 58 years old, he stood six 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 not everyone welcomed congressman depriest. 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 halls of congress that day? oscar depriest was born in florence, alabama on march 9th, 1871. his parents, alexander and mary, were former slaves. his father made a living as a teamster and farmer. his mother worked as part-time. alexander was a friend and supporter of reconstruction congressman james rapier. he helped him escape from threats on his life from the kkk. after a white republican was shot, the family decided to leave florence and migrate to salinas, kansas, in 1878. at that time, oscar was just seven years old.

oscar received some education in a congregational church in florence, but graduated from elementary school in salinas. he also studied book keeping at the salinas normal school. ten years later at the age of 17, he moved to dayton, ohio. at the age of 18, he moved to chicago. just before the next wave of the great migration. in chicago, he earned a living as a painter, decorator, plasterer and eventually a decorating of homes. he became wealthy by lease iing place formerly operated by whites to blacks. congressman depriest political career began with his atmosphere 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 alder man and represented ward 2. when his predecessor in congress madden, died suddenly of a heart atta attack, after having secured the republican nomination to his 13th term, the republican machine backed depriest. congr congratulatory letters and te 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 farmer, and was registered as a white man on the 1880 federal census. his wife, emma, was classified as an mullato 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 in both 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 story 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 at the post office 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 ledroit park in 1910 versus the positions blacks held in 1929 when the depriests joined the community. when the depriests 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 a pharmacist and the daughter of john smith. he was a lawyer and ambassador to liberia in 1890. there was percy a. roy who was a craftsman.

he lived on u street. in 1910, the browns neighbors worked as a dining car waiter and a maid. other neighbors of the browns and a maid. other neighbors worked as a traveling salesman a janitor, a messenger for the navy, a port er at a hotel. a barber and map folder. ledroit park was founded as an exclusively white neighborhood. proprietors only accepted those of the highest type. from the very beginning, rod wrought iron gates, wooden fences and wooden boards were erected around ledroit park to seclude them from a black neighborhood by howard university. watchmen also controlled access to and from the neighborhood

against intruders and undesirables. they sought to capture in ledroit park, a picturesque park-like setting during the 19th century. a house at 419 u street is filed as an italian villa in the fashion of andrew jackson downing and these files were popular as a result of his book the architecture of country houses. other popular styles that were influenced by downing and employed by the architect james mcgill were gothic revival, second empire, east lake and queen anne. some of the special features were halls and stairways, liberal-sized rooms, pantries, bedroom closets, china closets, bay windows, balconies, decorative tile roofs with gingerbread trim, iron grill, velvet wallpaper and such

amenities such as gas, water and sewage. when they lived in ledroit park, along with benjamin butterworth from ohio and henry gannett the the noted geologist and father of american map making whites began to move out shortly after blacks started to move. in also advancements in transportation made residential life possible on the outskirts of the city. the white community was stunned when the first black community, barber, women ams, his wife and daughter moved in to 338 u street. someone fired a bullet in to one of their windows. eventually it settled down and the second family moved in. they were the very famous robert terrell, who was the first municipal court judge in washington appointed by president taft, and also mary

church doral who is legendary for they are civil rights work and her work with the women's suffrage movement. after word war i, blacks from southern communities were moving in to d.c. as part of the great migration. in 1919, racial riots occurred in numerous cities throughout the country including chicago and washington, d.c. depriest was considered a hero during their riots for making trips to the chicago stockyards to rescue black workers who were trapped inside he broke through hostile white crowds to get meat

for people in the community. at the unveiling of the lincoln memorial in 1922, blacks were herded in to a separate section, away from the main seating area. a marine used racial epithets in addressing them. even the keynote speaker dr. robert moten, the second president of the tuskegee university was relegated to this segregated area. in his speech he compared the mayflower and the slave ship as the forces of liberty and bondage constantly doendsing for america's soul. a prayer pleaded 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 on washington and martin luther king's "i have a dream" speech a

silent parade by 1500 blacks in 1925 in washington to protest 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 was the nature of the social and political climate in the united states in 1929 that set the stage for the national controversy that involved the depriests living at 419 u street northwest and the hoovers 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. de priest equally in spite 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 on a social basis in 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 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 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, the social secretary of mrs. hoover, wrote to walter newton, an important aide 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 ask for your suggestion and remind you we with must not only think of this occasion but what is to be done during the entire term of the represent tive. 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. in 190in 1901 in 1901. 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. de priest was invited. there were several different lists of drafts of guests who were to come, and the final draft shows mrs. hoover's sar, jean hoover large, her secretaries, supporters of her husband's from different representatives. an invitation was sent to mrs. de priest 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."