Attorney John C. Asbury, originally named John Cornelius Asbury, was born on April 9, 1862, in West Middletown, Pennsylvania. He was the third of six children in a family that included his parents, John S. Asbury, a hardworking farmer, and Narcissus Narcissa Webster Adams, a home maker. His siblings were Ambrose Asbury, Caroline Asbury Plummer, Robert Asbury, Emberson Asbury, and Samuel F. Asbury.
Asbury demonstrated academic promise from an early age, graduating from the Zion Hill Normal and Collegiate Institute in West Middletown. Before pursuing higher education, he began his professional career as a public school teacher. In 1880, he enrolled at Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania, where he dedicated two years to his studies.
In 1882, he took a significant step by attending Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. He earned his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1885 and completed a Master of Law in 1886. These credentials enabled him to practice law in Pennsylvania and Virginia, where he served as the lawyer and Commonwealth attorney for Norfolk County (now the city of Chesapeake) from 1887 to 1891.
In 1892, he was elected as a delegate to the National Republican Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, representing the Second Congressional District of Virginia.
From 1902 to 1941, Ashbury served as the president of Keystone Industrial Insurance Company in Philadelphia. He was a member of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, the first African American Greek-letter fraternity, which was established in Philadelphia in 1904. He served as the Second Grand Sire Archon of The Boulé. This position is the highest-ranking officer and leader of the brotherhood, highlighting his leadership and influence within the fraternity.
Asbury made history in 1912 by becoming the first African American alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This achievement outlined his remarkable career and represented an elevated moment in the history of the Republican Party, especially for African Americans during Jim Crowism.
From 1916 to 1920, Ashbury distinguished himself as Assistant City Solicitor. His influence extended from 1921 to 1925, when he was a key Republican member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, further cementing his legacy as a political pioneer. He was the author of the Ashbury Equal Rights Bill during his tenure as a Representative in the Pennsylvania State Legislature. While the bill passed the House, it was defeated in the Senate.
Asbury’s personal life was equally impressive. He married twice, first to Kate E. Allen, and later to Ida Elizabeth Bowser, a gifted violinist and music teacher. Ida was herself a pioneer, becoming the first African American woman to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania in 1890. Together, they had a son, David Bowser Asbury.
Attorney John C. Asbury died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 8, 1941, at the age of 79, leaving behind a formidable legacy as a legal and political trailblazer in American history.
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