Personal Life
Oscar married the former Jessie L. Williams (1873?-March 31, 1961) . This union had two sons:
- Laurence W. (1900? - July 28, 1916)
- Oscar Stanton De Priest, Jr. (May 24, 1906-November 8, 1983)
His house in Chicago, on 45th and King Drive is a National Historic Landmark.
After his election to Congress, he was constantly in demand as a speaker. He did realize that he was not only a representative of voters from Illinois 1st Congressional District, but also a symbol for black people. He urged his many audiences to study political organization to learn their rights under the Federal Constitution, and to see campaign activity as a public duty. Oscar DePriest was a native of Florence, Alabama but spent his youth in Saline, Kansas. He went to Chicago in 1889. DePriest's early interest in politics can be traced back to his father, Alexander DePriest, who knew and admired James T. Rapier, who represented Alabama in Congress in the days of Reconstruction. The Elder DePriest learned to study people and politics while a dray man; Oscar DePriest learned them through his successful career as a real estate entrepreneur. Through his long life he maintained a keen interest in politics and in the progress of blacks. His success in business and politics did not change him, he insisted to his dying day in 1951 that "I am of the common herd".
Oscar De Priest had a brother named Robert De Priest who had one daughter named Ester De Priest.
Read more about this topic: Oscar Stanton De Priest
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