John Patterson Green

John Patterson Green (April 2, 1845 – September 1, 1940) was an American attorney, politician, public servant, and writer. He was among the first African Americans to hold public office in Cleveland, Ohio. A Republican, he was elected as a Justice of the Peace in 1873. He served in the Ohio House of Representatives in 1882. In 1891, he was elected to the Ohio Senate, the first African American state senator in Ohio. Green introduced the legislation that established Labor Day in Ohio as a state holiday.

Green was born into slavery in New Bern, North Carolina in 1845. His mother was a slave and his father was a free man. Green was freed at the age of 11 when the Civil War ended. He moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1857. Green attended Central High School in Cleveland and graduated in 1866. He then attended Union Law School in Cleveland and graduated in 1870.

After graduating from law school, Green began practicing law in Cleveland. He was also active in politics and was elected to the Cleveland City Council in 1873. He served on the council for two terms. In 1882, Green was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives. He served in the House for one term. In 1891, Green was elected to the Ohio Senate. He served in the Senate for one term.

Green was a strong advocate for civil rights and social justice. He was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the American Anti-Slavery Society. He was also a founder of the Cleveland branch of the NAACP. Green was a tireless advocate for the rights of African Americans and he helped to make significant progress in the fight for equality.

Green was a prolific writer and he published several books, which includes Essays on Miscellaneous Subjects by a Self-Educated Colored Youth (1866). The Life of John Patterson Green (1900). Reminiscences of an Ohio Pioneer (1910). Labor Day: Its Origin and History (1916)

Green died in Cleveland, Ohio in 1940 at the age of 95. He is buried in Woodland Cemetery in Cleveland.

Green was a remarkable man who made significant contributions to the city of Cleveland, the state of Ohio, and the nation. He was a pioneer in the fight for civil rights and social justice, and he helped to make the world a better place.

He was a self-educated man who taught himself law and became a successful attorney. He was a founding member of the Cleveland branch of the NAACP.

He was a tireless advocate for the rights of African Americans. He helped to establish Labor Day as a national holiday. He was a prolific writer and published several books. He died at the age of 95 and is buried in Woodland Cemetery in Cleveland.

Green was a remarkable man who made significant contributions to the city of Cleveland, the state of Ohio, and the nation. He was a pioneer in the fight for civil rights and social justice, and he helped to make the world a better place.