Jesse Lee Albritton papers

Biographical note

Jesse Lee Albritton (1911-1964) was born on April 25, 1911 in Fairfax, Georgia to Hilda Rose and Thomas Y. Albritton. He completed elementary school and attended various other schools without receiving any certificate. He continuously spoke out about his family’s poor living conditions and eventually left home to seek a better life for himself. In 1937, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri and began working for the St. Louis Argus newspaper. It was in St. Louis that he met his wife, Ida Marie Bonner; they married after a brief courtship and moved to Chicago.

Albritton’s first job in Chicago was selling advertisements for the Chicago Defender newspaper. While working at the paper he met and worked with union labor leaders, including Paul Dorfman of the Waste Material Handler’s Union, which was under the jurisdiction of the American Federation of Labor. Dorfman introduced Albritton to the American Federation of Labor leadership, and Albritton became involved in union organizing. In 1942, he began writing a column, “Color in the News,” for the American Federation of Labor paper Federation News. He took a hiatus from this position when he enlisted in the military for service during World War II. Albritton also offered news commentary for the Chicago Federation of Labor’s radio station, WCFL, and early commercial television station WBKB.

Under the guidance of Nubian J. Conley, of Conley and Conley Printing establishment, located at 63rd and Rhodes, and Leo Foster Printing, Albritton learned the printing business. He worked with Leo Foster to publish a magazine, Club Life, which covered the social life of clubs and organizations of African Americans in the Chicago area. The dates for Albritton’s work on Club Life and in the printing business are unclear, but the business appears to have been active in the mid-1950s. In 1956, Albritton began working in Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen’s office.

In addition to his professional pursuits, Albritton was a member of the Elks, Shriners, and the Prince Hall Eureka Lodge. He was also a Cook County Deputy Sherriff at the time of his death in June 1964. Albritton died unexpectedly in a fishing trip accident on Lake Michigan.