Nationality American Name William Whipper | Spouse Frances Rollin Whipper Children Ionia Rollin Whipper | |
Born January 23, 1834 ( 1834-01-23 ) Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S. Known for abolitionist, politician, lawyer, judge Relatives William Whipper (uncle) Died July 29, 1907, Beaufort, South Carolina, United States | ||
William James Whipper was an African American abolitionist, trial lawyer, municipal judge, and state legislator. He volunteered for the United States Army during the Civil War, serving from 1864 to November 1865 as a member of the 31st Colored Troops. He played an influential role in the state government of South Carolina during Reconstruction. As a delegate to the state's 1868 constitutional convention, he supported women's suffrage, although his motion to allow "every citizen" to vote was not taken seriously at the time. He was a noted political opponent of Robert Smalls as well as a dedicated trial lawyer.
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Early life and career
He was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania on January 23, 1834. Whipper's uncle William Whipper was a noted abolitionist and he was named after him. He moved to Ohio where he became a member of the abolition movement. He studied law in Detroit. During his career as a trial lawyer he once served as a co-counsel to Jonathan Jasper Wright, who later went on to become the first black judge of the Supreme Court of America. He was elected to the state constitutional convention in 1868 where he gave a speech in support of allowing women to vote but the delegates kept on interrupting him and his speech was decided in negative.
Military career
Whipper volunteered for the United States Army during the Civil War, serving from 1864 to November 1865 as a member of the 31st Colored Troops. During his military service he was court-martialed once for gambling and once for insulting a white lieutenant.
Family life
After the death of his first wife, Whipper married diarist Frances Anne Rollin in South Carolina. The couple had five children. Their daughter Ionia Rollin Whipper became a social reformer. As a result of marital discord, Frances separated from William during the early 1880s, taking her five children to Washington, D.C.