This Day in Black History: Aug. 27, 1879

Publisher and lawyer Robert Lee Vann was born.
By Britt Middleton
Posted: 08/27/2012 07:00 AM EDT
Filed Under National News, This Day in Black History

(Photo: carnegielibrary.org)

Robert Lee Vann, lawyer and publisher of The Pittsburgh Courier newspaper, was born in Ahoskie, North Carolina, on Aug. 27, 1879. In 1910, one year after graduating from law school, Vann began his career as legal counsel for The Courier and eventually became the paper's editor and publisher. By the 1930s, The Courier would become one of the most highly circulated Black newspapers in the country, with a national circulation of 200,000 readers. Additionally, Vann was involved in Pittsburgh's political landscape and was appointed assistant city solicitor in 1918. In his landmark speech, "The Patriot and the Partisan", given at the St. James Literary Forum in Cleveland in 1932, he urged Blacks to turn away from the Republican Party and to support Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1932 presidential election. Following Roosevelt's win, Vann was appointed as special assistant to the U.S. attorney general and continued to campaign for equal rights laws in Pennsylvania. He served as editor and publisher of the Courier until his death on Oct. 24, 1940.

BET National News - Keep up to date with breaking news stories from around the nation, including headlines from the hip hop and entertainment world. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter. 

Videos You May Like

Comments

Trends
Evelyn Lozada •Music News •Beyoncé •Jay-Z •Foxy Brown •Dr. Dre •American Money •Dedrick Muhammad •unemployment •careers •networking •employment •National News •NAACP •Oprah •Michael Jackson •Madonna •Janet Jackson •Larenz Tate •Samuel L. Jackson •Jada Pinkett-Smith •Photos •Too Short •Celeb Photos •student loans •Barack Obama •higher education •Congress •Democrats •Republicans •

African-Americans on Forbes Most Powerful Women List 2013

See where Michelle Obama, Oprah and others rank. 05/23/2013

The 411 on Seasonal Allergies

What you need to know about allergies. 05/22/2013

How You Can Help the Victims in Oklahoma

The Red Cross, Salvation Army and more ways to give. 05/21/2013

Out and About: Jaden Smith Goes to Dinner in London

Plus pics of Rita Ora, Janet Jackson, MJB and more. 05/24/2013

The Rundown: French Montana, Excuse My French

A track-by-track review of the Bronx rapper's debut LP. 05/20/2013

Bump Watch: Celebrity Pregnancy Denials

Bey, Brandy and other stars plagued by baby rumors. 05/21/2013

SEARCH

© 2013 BET Interactive, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Black Entertainment Television LLC. All rights reserved.