Arthur G. Froe

Arthur Glenn Froe (March 24, 1876 – November 26, 1932) was an American lawyer and politician. He was appointed by President Warren G. Harding as the Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia, and served in this position from 1922 to 1930 during the presidential administrations of Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover.

Froe was born in Virginia in 1876, and attended Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute. He served as a public schoolteacher before continuing his graduate studies at Shaw University and Howard University School of Law. In 1906, Froe relocated to Welch, West Virginia, where he established a law office, and later had a law firm with West Virginia House Delegate Harry J. Capehart and Leon P. Miller. Froe represented both African-American and white clients, including marginalized white ethnic groups.

Froe was active in West Virginia Republican Party politics. He served as a member of the board of education for McDowell County's Browns Creek school district from 1914 until 1919, and following the recommendation of West Virginia Governor John J. Cornwell, President Woodrow Wilson appointed Froe to a legal advisory board for McDowell County's draft boards during World War I. In 1921, Senator Davis Elkins and Congressperson Wells Goodykoontz, recommended Froe for the post Recorder of Deeds of the District of Columbia. President Harding announced Froe's appointment on February 1, 1922; the Senate confirmed him on February 15, and he took his oath of office on March 1. During his tenure, Froe sought support from Congress for higher salaries and increased office space for his agency. Froe served as recorder until his resignation in 1930. In September 1932, Senator Henry D. Hatfield named Froe as a member of the West Virginia Republican Party's advisory committee, aiding the party's campaigns ahead of the 1932 elections. Froe died in November 1932 following an extended illness.

Early life and education

Arthur Glenn Froe was born in Abingdon, Virginia, on March 24, 1876, where he spent his early childhood.

Froe was a nephew of prominent local merchant U. S. G. Froe. After graduating, Froe returned to Pocahontas, where he taught in the town's public schools.

Early law and political careers alt=Black and white photograph view of buildings in downtown Welch, West Virginia, in 1915.

Froe moved to Welch, West Virginia, in 1906 and established a law office. Froe represented both African-American and white clients, including marginalized white ethnic groups Hungarians, Italians, and Slavs. He and Capehart represented Joseph Parise and Cosimo Spadaro, who in 1915 were indicted on charges of first-degree murder in connection with a strike riot in Farmington.

In Welch, Froe became active in West Virginia Republican Party politics. By 1913, he was named treasurer of the McDowell County Colored Republican Organization, which was responsible for a growing number of African-American appointed and elected officials. Froe served as a member of the board of education for McDowell County's Browns Creek school district from 1914 to 1919. 1915–16, 1916–17, 1917–18, and 1918–19 school years. In addition, President Woodrow Wilson appointed Froe to a legal advisory board for McDowell County's draft boards during World War I following a recommendation from West Virginia Governor John J. Cornwell.

In February 1915, Froe and African-American McDowell County lawyer E. H. Harper appeared before the West Virginia Senate committee on railroads at the final hearing for the "Full Crew Bill", which would have required railroad companies to hire additional brakemen on trains, thereby displacing African-American porters. In his statement, Froe protested on behalf of all African-American railroad employees and argued such a law was unnecessary because West Virginia's Public Service Commission already had the power to prescribe what constituted a full crew.

Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia Nomination and confirmation

Froe was endorsed by the McDowell County Colored Republican Organization for the position of Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. On February 1, 1922, Senator Elkins, Congressperson Goodykoontz, and Froe held a closed meeting with President Warren G. Harding, Senator Elkins described Froe as "an able lawyer" and "a colored man of the highest standing in the southern part of West Virginia" in his nomination letter to President Harding, and he recommended Froe to recognize West Virginia's African-American Republican voters. On February 1, 1922, following their meeting, President Harding formally announced his nomination of Froe for Recorder of Deeds to succeed John F. Costello.

In a later speech at a conference of West Virginia African-American Republicans, Froe stated West Virginia's African-American voters "constituted a power that demanded recognition in both the state and nation".

At the time of Froe's appointment and tenure, the Recorder of Deeds was one of the highest U.S. government positions held by African-Americans and all but three appointees who served in this post were African-American. Following Froe's appointment, California Republican Congressperson Julius Kahn cautioned Froe against disturbing Monroe's position in the office. and he took his oath of office as Recorder of Deeds on March 1. Froe soon found the need for more office space for the Recorder of Deeds staff and in November 1922, he sought support in Congress for a new office building at the cost of $250,000 . The following year, Froe also identified the need for more office space for the storage of the documents under his charge and enlisted the support of Congress and President Calvin Coolidge for an appropriation of $500,000 to build a new Recorder of Deeds office building.

President Coolidge reappointed Froe to the position in 1926. In 1928, the Bureau of Efficiency released a report with recommendations to improve the efficiency of the Recorder of Deeds office to yield an estimated cost savings of $124,000 per year . While Froe approved the majority of the report's findings and recommendations, he objected to some of the cost-cutting recommendations because they could be construed as racially discriminatory. He found the law, which required every stock share to be subscribed for in good faith, prevented companies from holding treasury stock. Froe had the support of Hatfield, all five of West Virginia's Republican congressmen, the state's Republican governor, and the state's Republican national committee members. Senator Hatfield threatened to fight Hoover's nomination of Coage on the Senate floor but Hatfield was later appeased by lesser appointments. While serving in his post, Froe resided at 1724 S Street in Northwest Washington, D.C. Froe became known for his abilities as an orator, regularly delivering speeches and lectures, and multiple newspapers referred to him as "the colored William Jennings Bryan". In April 1925, Froe delivered an address to the Annual Conference of the Association of Mail Carriers in Norfolk, Virginia, and in November 1927, he gave a talk on records management entitled "What Papers Are Recordable and the Effect of Recordations". A September 1918 article in The McDowell Times described Froe as the wealthiest African-American man in McDowell County.

In April 1930, Froe attended the conference establishing the National Negro Republican League organization. In September 1932, Senator Hatfield named Froe as a member of the West Virginia Republican Party's advisory committee, aiding the party's campaign effort ahead of the 1932 elections. In late 1932, Froe's health declined due to a heart-related illness and he was hospitalized at Stevens Clinic Hospital in Welch for approximately a month, The portraits were requested by the Recorder of Deeds William J. Thompkins and were painted by Public Works Administration artists.