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Title
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William A. Upshur, Jr. on the phone.
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Description
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A black and white photograph taken by John W. Mosley (1907-1969) featuring William Arthur Upshur Jr. (1894-1963) on the phone at his office desk. His business card for his funeral home is stapled to the photo. Another photo flipped right side down sits above. It has handwritten inscriptions.
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William A. Upshur (1894-1963) was a politician, civic leader, and funeral home director.
William Arthur Upshur Jr. was born to Elizabeth Spriggs and William Arthur Upshur, Sr. on January 8, 1894 in Atlantic City, New Jersey (Ancestry.com).
William Upshur lived a full life. He attended public schools in Philadelphia and served as a sergeant in the United States Army during World War I. He graduated from Eckels College of Mortuary Science & Embalming (certificates connected to the institution hang on the wall behind him).
He also ran a successful funeral home at 21st and Christian Streets in West Philadelphia for more than 42 years. Throughout his life, he was active in the American Legion Post 292; Quaker City Lodge of Elks, Number 20; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); the Urban League; the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association); the Pennsylvania Prison Society; National Undertakers Association; and the Pennsylvania State Undertakers Association.
In 1918, he and Agnes Chew married. The couple had one child, Georgine Elizabeth Upshur in 1921. Upshur was described as “one of the most loyal and faithful Republicans in the City of Philadelphia” serving as recording secretary of the Republican City Committee and Republican ward leader of the 30th ward for 15 years. He was also a member of the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania and served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1948, 1956, and 1960.
He was elected as a Republican to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 1947-1948 session and led an unsuccessful campaign for re-election for the following term. In 1962, Upshur became the first Black candidate for State Senator in Pennsylvania’s history. He died of heart disease on May 5, 1963 at the University of Pennsylvania. (newspapers.com references)
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Contributor
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The Library Company of Philadelphia
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Date Created
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c. 1960
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Creator
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Willis, Georgine Upshur
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Rights
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This work is not in copyright, but commercial uses of this digital representation are limited. For more information, contact printroom@librarycompany.org and see http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-NC/1.0/
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Identifier
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P.2022.16.12 (with verso)
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Language
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eng
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Format
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Image
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Extent
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1 image
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Spatial Coverage
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Philadelphia, PA
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Publisher
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The Library Company of Philadelphia
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Is Part Of
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Stevens-Cogdell/Sanders Venning Collection - Upshur Willis Collection_Georgine E. Upshur Willis collection_P.2022.16.12
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Subject
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African Americans
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Black people
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Legislators
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Middle class African Americans
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Politicians
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Undertakers and undertaking
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transcription
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[Photo back] Warm Greeting 1960
(Richard Nixon)
Next President
United States
“Bill Upshur”
2 x 30
1960 GOP Convention in Chicago
[Business Card]
DAY AND NIGHT SERVICE
LADY ATTENDANT
PHONES: KI 5-3877
KI 5-5660
Williams A. Upshur, Jr. Funeral Home
N.E. CORNER
21ST AND CHRISTIAN STREETS
PROMPT SERVICE
PHILADELPHIA, P., 19146
P.2022.16.12a
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Bibliographic Citation
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Willis-Thomas, Deborah. Black Photographers, 1840-1940 : An Illustrated Bio-Bibliography. Garland Publishing, Inc., 1989.
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Philadelphia Tribune (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). “A View of History through the Eyes of John Mosley.” November 10, 1992.
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“Ancestry.Com. Pennsylvania, U.S., World War I Veterans Service and Compensation Files, 1917-1919, 1934-1948 [Database on-Line].” Ancestry.com, 2015.
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Afro-American (1893-). “William Upshur’s Mother Buried.” August 9, 1952.
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Potter, Lou. “2 Prominent Undertakers Succumb 24 Hours Apart: Bill Upshur, 69, C. Allmond, 77, Go to Reward.” Philadelphia Tribune, May 7, 1963.
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Afro-American (1893-). “Thousands Mourn Death of Upshur.” May 18, 1963.
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Caust-Ellenbogen, Celia. “The Home of African American Presbyterianism.” Archival Adventures in Small Repositories, March 31, 2014.
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Wellington, Elizabeth. “A Million Faces: This John W. Mosley Exhibit Will Leave Philadelphians Reminiscing.” TCA Regional News, November 16, 2016.
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NAACP. “About NAACP.” 2025.
William Upshur on phone at desk 
