Franklin H. Bryant Display
February is Black History Month, and the William A. Wise Law Library is spotlighting the University of Colorado's first (known) Black graduate Franklin Henry Bryant (Class of 1907) with a display in front of the 2nd floor library entrance.
View the Law Library's first edition, author-inscribed copy of his book of poetry Black Smiles (1903). And view the court records for his Colorado Supreme Court case, Graeb v. Board of Medical Examiners.
From an early age, Franklin H. Bryant (1907) dedicated himself to his education. At the age of 22, he joined the Seventh Day Adventist Church and served as a stenographer for the founder's son, traveling across the country.
Bryant first attended medical school in Nashville. There, he published a collection of poems titled Black Smiles (1903) in order to help pay for medical school. He briefly attended Northwestern University's medical school in Chicago before moving to Denver in 1905.
In Denver, he lectured, performed poetry, and became politically active in the socialist and labor movements. He first enrolled at DU's Law School before transferring to CU's Law School in 1906. He graduated in 1907 and passed the Colorado Bar Exam.
He was the first and youngest Black attorney to argue a case before the Colorado Supreme Court (55 Colo. 523, 139 P. 1099).
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