Samuel Beecher Hart

Samuel Beecher Hart (1863 - March 24, 1936) was a state legislator in Pennsylvania. He served multiple terms.^[1][2]

In 1925 Hart, an African-American state legislator from Philadelphia,^[3] introduced a bill in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to commission a monument honoring 150 years of service in the U.S. military by Pennsylvania African Americans.^[4] It was initially defeated but after being resubmitted the following session it passed in 1927. The All Wars Memorial to Colored Soldiers and Sailors was erected.^[5] Its location was remote after disputes but it was eventually relocated in 1994.^[6]

He was born in Philadelphia. He studied at Emlen Institute, a home for "colored boys" in Warminster,^[7][8] and Mrs. Lloyd’s Night School in Gloucestershire, England. He was captain of a "colored unit" of the Pennsylvania National Guard, the Gray Invincibles.^[5][9] He worked as an inspector with the Department of Health and Charities in Philadelphia for 14 years and was a clerk at John A. Sparks, Esq. for 10 years. He edited a newspaper and publications.^[1]

Hart was a Republican and was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1924 and was reelected for 5 consecutive terms. He died while still in office. He was buried at Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Pennsylvania.^[1]