Resolution

House Concurrent Resolution No. 381

Resolution, "House Concurrent Resolution No. 381," made in tribute to William W. Ferguson and adopted by the House of Representatives and the Senate of Michigan on December 3, 1975. Signed by Billie S. Farnum, Secretary of the Senate, and T. Thos. Thatcher, Clerk of the House of Representatives. Red and blue ribbon and the gold seal of the House of Representatives of the State of Michigan is affixed to the bottom left. The text of the resolution is as follows:

"House Concurrent Resolution No. 381

Offered by Representatives Daisy Elliott, Vaughn, Raymond W. Hood, Collins and the Speaker on behalf of the remaining membership of the House of Representatives

A Concurrent Resolution in Tribute to the Memory of the Honorable William W. Ferguson

WHEREAS, The name of William W. Ferguson rests solidly in the depository of Michigan history as the first Black person to be elected to the Michigan State Legislature; and

WHEREAS, William Ferguson, the eldest son of Dr. Joseph Ferguson, was born in Detroit in 1857. When he was a small boy he peddled newspapers on the streets of Detroit in spite of a most vigorous boycott; and

WHEREAS, William Ferguson was the first child of his race to enter the public schools of Detroit. Although he suffered race prejudice and other disadvantages, he stood at the head of his class in nearly every grade and graduated with honors from high school; and

WHEREAS, He was successful in the printing profession, the real estate business, and later as a lawyer. In 1889, he was ousted from the Gies European Hotel for refusing to eat in the "colored" section. He filed suit against the hotel but he was defeated in the lower court. His attorney appealed to the State Supreme Court and in the historic Ferguson vs Gies case, he won a reversal--the court ruling that separation by race in public places is illegal; and

WHEREAS, Prominent in the Black community and active politically, he was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 1893, as the first Black legislator and served until 1895, as Representative from the First District of Wayne County. During his service as a legislator, he introduced House Bill No. 566 which was enacted May 8, 1893, the title of which follows:

A bill to amend chapter 131 of Howell's Annotated Statutes of the State of Michigan, being an act entitle "An act in relation to life insurance companies transacting business within this state" as heretofore amended by adding thereto one new section to be known as section 32, and intended to prevent distinction or discrimination between white persons and colored persons, wholly or partially of African descent, in insuring lives.

; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (the Senate concurring), That the Michigan Legislature does hereby commemorate the memory of The Honorable William W. Ferguson in memorial for one of Michigan's great pioneers.

Adopted by the House of Representatives, December 3, 1975
Adopted by the Senate, December 3, 1975"