David Foote Rivers

David Foote Rivers
Tennessee House of Representatives
In office
1883–1884
Personal details
Born(1859-07-18)July 18, 1859
Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
DiedJuly 5, 1941(1941-07-05) (aged 81)
New York City, U.S.
SpouseSilene Gale
Children4, including Francis E. Rivers
EducationRoger Williams University
OccupationPolitician

David Foote Rivers (July 18, 1859 – July 5, 1941) was a theologian and politician in the United States. An African American and a Republican, he served as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for Fayette County from 1883 to 1884.[1][2] He represented Fayette County.[3]

He taught at his alma mater, Roger Williams University, in Nashville, Tennessee.[1] His eligibility for office was contested because he studied out of county during the year prior to his election. H. C. Jarvis submitted a minority report supporting his eligibility.[4] He was reelected but was forced to flee the county due to rising racist violence.

Rivers became the pastor of Metropolitan Baptist church in Kansas City, Missouri in the 1890s, and he later served as the pastor of Berean Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.[1][5]

His son Francis E. Rivers served in New York State's General Assembly and was an assistant district attorney.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b c "David Foote Rivers". "This Honorable Body": African American Legislators in 19th Century Tennessee. Tennessee State Government. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  2. ^ Cartwright, Joseph H. (1973). "Black Legislators in Tennessee in the 1800's: A Case Study in Black Political Leadership". Tennessee Historical Quarterly. 32 (3): 265–284. JSTOR 42623393 – via JSTOR.
  3. ^ Woodson, Carter Godwin; Logan, Rayford Whittingham (March 7, 1920). "The Journal of Negro History". Association for the Study of Negro Life and History – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "House Journal". 1883.
  5. ^ "Dr. David F. Rivers Dies In New York After Long Illness". The New York Age. July 12, 1941. p. 4. Retrieved April 12, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Lovett, Bobby L. (2005). The Civil Rights Movement in Tennessee: A Narrative History. ISBN 9781572334434.
  7. ^ Fowle, Farnsworth (29 July 1975). "Francis e. Rivers Dies; Black City Judge Was 82". The New York Times.