Benjamin Frank Adair Explained

Benjamin Frank Adair (1852 - March 28, 1902) was a lawyer who served in the Arkansas Legislature in 1891 representing Pulaski County.^{[1] [2]}

He was included in a photo montage of African American state legislators serving in Arkansas in 1891 published in The Freeman newspaper in Indianapolis.^[3] He was a Democrat.^[4]

His father had the same name and was the owner of his mother. His father moved the family to Oberlin, Ohio, when Arkansas outlawed free people of color (Arkansas's Free Negro Expulsion Act of 1859). The father freed his family.^[1]

Adair died March 28, 1902, from a suspected heart failure after suffering from heart issues.^[5]

See also

• African-American officeholders during and following the Reconstruction era

Notes and References

1. Web site: Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
2. News: Roster of the General Assembly of Arkansas 1891 . 15 December 2020 . Arkansas Democrat . 4 December 1890 . 3.
3. Web site: CONTENTdm .
4. Negro Legislators in Arkansas, 1891: A Document. Gatewood, Willard B.. Gatewood, Willard G.. 1972. The Arkansas Historical Quarterly. 31. 3. 220–233. JSTOR. 10.2307/40038091. 40038091.
5. News: Death in a Chair - R. F. Adair . 15 December 2020 . Pine Bluff Daily Graphic . 30 March 1902 . 1.