Charlton Tandy Explained

Carlton Hunt Tandy
Birth Name:Charles Hunt Tandy
Birth Date:c. 1836
Birth Place:Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Death Date:1919
Occupation:lawyer, newspaper publisher, state legislator-elect, public official, civil rights activist, volunteer militia officer

Charlton "Charles" Hunt Tandy (c. 1836 – 1919) was an African American volunteer militia officer in Missouri, lawyer, newspaper publisher, state legislator-elect, public official, and civil rights activist.

Biography

Tandy was born in Lexington, Kentucky in about 1836.

He worked to integrate streetcars (horse-drawn at the time) in St. Louis, including organizing a boycott after legal injunctions failed to stop discriminatory practices.[1] He established an organization to aid Exodusters. He also helped establish Lincoln University.[2] He led protest of the siting of Sumner High School in a heavily polluted area in close proximity to a lead works, lumber and tobacco warehouses, and the train station as well as an area of brothels. He said that black students deserved clean and quiet schools the same way white students do.[3] He was a Republican.[4]

The State Historical Society of Missouri has a collection of his papers. The Tandy Recreation Center and Tandy Park in St. Louis is named for him.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sims. Sarah. February 5, 2020. How Charlton Tandy integrated St. Louis streetcars. St. Louis American.
  2. Web site: Charlton H. Tandy Papers | The State Historical Society of Missouri. collections.shsmo.org.
  3. Book: Jack, Bryan M.. The St. Louis African American Community and the Exodusters. February 1, 2008. University of Missouri Press. 9780826266163. Google Books.
  4. Web site: Tandy, Charlton H. · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database. Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (NKAA). University of Kentucky Libraries.
  5. Web site: View Park. stlouis-mo.gov.