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Richard E. S. Toomey

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Richard E. S. Toomey
Born(1862-05-00)May , 1862
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
DiedApril 17, 1948(1948-04-17) (aged 85)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Occupation(s)Soldier, poet, lawyer
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Minnie D. Clem, Nandethes Beatrix Dillard

Richard E. S. Toomey (May 1862 – April 17, 1948) was a soldier, poet, civil servant, and lawyer in Washington, DC and Miami, Florida. His poetry gained popularity in the early 1900s and he was called "The Soldier Poet". He was well known in Washington, DC, and friends with Paul Laurence Dunbar. Outside of poetry, he served in the Spanish–American War and became a popular speaker in political and social causes in DC. He graduated from Howard University Law School in Washington DC in 1906. In 1913, he moved to Miami, where he was Miami's first black attorney.

Early life

Toomey was born in May 1862[1] to an oyster farmer in Maryland, likely in Baltimore.[2] Toomey enlisted in the Army and served during the Spanish–American War in Company B of the 8th United States Volunteer Infantry (colored), also known as the "8th Immune Regiment"; immune referring to the mistaken belief that black soldiers were immune from tropical diseases they may face during service.[3] His regiment's service in the war was in the US, where he was in charge of the bulk of the drilling and training of his company at Fort Thomas, Kentucky.[4] He enlisted as a private and was promoted to first lieutenant during the war.[5] In spite of never reaching the battlefield, Toomey's service was highly valued and he was reported in 1922 to be the only black soldier to receive a sword from the War Department for meritorious service.[6]

Education and poetry

Toomey graduated from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania.[7] and later was in the class of 1906 at Howard Law School.[8] After returning from the war, he became well known for his poetry. In 1902, Toomey became the second black person to read at the Congressional Library, after Paul Laurence Dunbar. At the event, he read selections from his book, Thoughts for True Americans, and his brother, L. Ellsworth Toomey, played selections on the piano.[9]

He was given the nickname, "The Soldier Poet", by Dunbar, and was also known as "Poet of the People".[10] Toomey's poetry is a noted example of the coexistence of patriotism and racial unrest. His poem, Southern Chivalry, attacks lynching, while The American Negro calls for blacks to be true to the nations ideals. Ode to Columbia is a poem about the battle of Manila Bay, and Self-Effacement calls on blacks to maintain pride and strength.[11] His oration made him popular among the capitals black elites. In 1905, he was elected president of the Lyceum of the 2nd Baptist Church.[12]

He was politically active throughout his life. He campaigned for Theodore Roosevelt in the 1904 presidential campaign,[3] and frequently worked in support of Republican candidates.[6]

Law career

Toomey passed the Washington DC bar exam and was admitted to the district court on October 5, 1906. He was listed as from Tennessee.[13] Even before receiving his law degree, Toomey was a clerk in the federal government. In 1910, while working in the US Post Office Department, he was charged with criminal libel for a letter he wrote against Dr. A. M. Curtis.[14] He was found guilty and his sentence of six months in jail was suspended.[15]

Three years later, in 1913, he moved to Miami and began practicing law,[7] becoming Miami's first black attorney.[16] He continued his poetry in Florida, becoming known as the "Soldier Poet of Florida".[17]

Personal life

He married Minnie D. Clem of Greeneville, Tennessee on September 27, 1888.[18] Their first son, Harry Tildon Toomey, died in 1905.[19] Another son was George Austin Toomey.[20] On November 22, 1916, Toomey again married, then to Nandethes Beatrix Dillard.[21]

References

  1. ^ According to the 1900 census
  2. ^ According to the 1870 census
  3. ^ a b "Cheers for Mudd," Evening Star (Washington, DC) October 28, 1904, page 13 accessed August 15, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6244739/cheers_for_mudd_evening_star/
  4. ^ "The-Man-on-the-Corner." Colored American (Washington (DC), District of Columbia) Saturday, April 19, 1902, Volume: X Issue: 2 Page: 3
  5. ^ General Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers who Served During the War with Spain, The National Archives, Publication Number: M871, Source Publication Year: 1973, Fold3 Publication Year: 2013, Record Group: 94, National Archives Catalog ID: 654543, Roll: 0113, accessed August 15, 2016 at https://www.footnotelibrary.com/image/1/309025626
  6. ^ a b "Negro Repubs in Big Ralley," The Evening Journal (Wilmington, Delaware), October 28, 1922, page 12 accessed August 15, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6245125/negro_repubs_in_big_ralley_the_evening/
  7. ^ a b Thomas, L. E. "The Professions in Miami", The Crisis, NAACP, March 1942. page 85
  8. ^ "Annual Debate," Evening Star (Washington, DC), May 5, 1905, page 16
  9. ^ "Lieut. Toomey Reads." The Colored American (Washington, D.C.), April 26, 1902, page 4 accessed August 15, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6244689/lieut_toomey_reads_the_colored/
  10. ^ "In Honor of Lieut. Toomey," The Colored American (Washington, DC), March 21, 1903, page 9, accessed August 15, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6244970/in_honor_of_lieut_toomey_the_colored/
  11. ^ White, Newman I. "Racial Feeling in Negro Poetry," in eds Bassett, John Spencer et al., The South Atlantic Quarterly, Volume 21, 1922, page 24
  12. ^ "The Negro Race in History," The Washington Post (Washington, DC), February 6, 1905, page 8
  13. ^ "Admitted to the Bar, List of Attorneys Increased by One Hundred and Eleven." The Evening Star (Washington, DC), October 5, 1906, page 16
  14. ^ "Clerk Arraigned on Libel Charge," The Washington Post (Washington, DC) June 3, 1910, page 5 accessed August 15, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6245068/clerk_arraigned_on_libel_charge_the/
  15. ^ "The Legal Record," The Washington Post (Washington, DC) October 29, 1910, page 12 accessed August 15, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6245086/the_legal_record_the_washington_post/
  16. ^ Connolly, N. D. B. A World More Concrete: Real Estate and the Remaking of Jim Crow South Florida. University of Chicago Press, Aug 25, 2014 page 31
  17. ^ [No Headline], The Washington Herald (Washington, District of Columbia), September 26, 1922, page 10.
  18. ^ "The Colored People," Knoxville Journal (Knoxville, Tennessee) Sunday, September 16, 1888, Volume: IV Issue: 175 Page: 1
  19. ^ "An Acknowledgment." Washington Bee (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), Saturday, July 29, 1905 Volume: XXV Issue: IX Page: 1
  20. ^ [No Headline] Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), Thursday, February 22, 1940, Page: 12
  21. ^ "What They Are Talking About at the Nation's Capitol," Savannah Tribune (Savannah, Georgia) Saturday, November 18, 1916, Volume: XXXII Issue: 11 Page: Seven Piece: Two of Two
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