Frank Horne

Frank Smith Horne was an American lyricist, poet, and government official who was an influential figure in the Harlem Renaissance. He was a member of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Black Cabinet where he served as Assistant Director of the Division of Negro Affairs, National Youth Administration. Later, Horne worked for the Housing and Home Finance Agency and helped to found the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing (NCDH).

Early life and education Frank Smith Horne was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York by Edwin Fletcher Horne and Cora Calhoun Horne. Horne's father was a private contractor and builder.

Horne attended the City College of New York, graduating in 1921 with a Bachelor of Science. In 1938, Horne began working as the Assistant Director for the United States Housing Authority. were terminated from the HHFA in 1955 because of Republican National Committee's hostility toward Horne's policies.

Horne became a consultant in human relations in the Housing and Redevelopment Board in New York City in 1962, and served the board until to 1973. In 1960, Horne suffered a stroke which partially paralyzed the right side of his body. During his time in the hospital, Horne wrote a collection of poetry titled, Haverstraw. Horne died on September 7, 1974, from arteriosclerosis.

Publications Nonfiction "Black Verse," Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, November 1924, pp. 330–332. "I Am Initiated into the Negro Race," Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, May 1928, pp. 136–137. "The Epic of Fort Valley," Crisis Magazine, June 1929, pp. 190, 206-207. "Running Fools: Athletics in a Colored School," Crisis Magazine, November 1930, pp. 375–376. "Concerning White People," Opportunity:A Journal of Negro Life, March, 1934, p. 77-79. "The Industrial School of the South", Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, May 1935, pp. 136–139; June 1935, pp. 178–181. "Dog House Education," Journal of Negro Education, July 1936, p. 339. "Providing New Housing for Negroes," Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, October 1940, pp. 305–308.

Poetry (As Xavier I) "Letters Found near a Suicide," Crisis Magazine, November 1925, pp. 12–13. "Harlem,” Crisis Magazine, June 1928, p. 196. "More Letters Found near a Suicide," Crisis Magazine, December 1929, p. 413. Haverstraw, Breman, 1963. "Balm in Gilead: A Christmas Jingle, Played with Trumpets and Muffled Drums," Crisis Magazine, December 1965, pp. 646-647. "Mamma!," Crisis Magazine, April 1966, p. 213. "He Won’t Stay Put: A Carol for All Seasons," Crisis Magazine, December 1970, pp. 403-404.

Short stories "The Man Who Wanted to Be Red: A Story," Crisis Magazine, July 1928, pp. 225–226, 242-243.