John Wesley Dobbs

Who was John Wesley Dobbs?

John Wesley Dobbs, an African-American civic and political leader, was often referred to as unofficial "mayor" of Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dobbs, educated at Atlanta Baptist College, passed a civil service exam and became a railway mail clerk for the Post Office in 1903, a position he held for 32 years. Dobbs married Irene Ophelia Thompson in 1906, and they had six daughters, all of whom graduated from Spelman College and one of whom, Mattiwilda Dobbs, became a notable opera singer. Dobbs became a member of the Prince Hall Masons in 1911. In 1932, he was elected Grand Master of the Prince Hall Masons.

Believing that enfranchisement was the key to overcoming segregation, Dobbs started a voter registration drive in 1936 with a goal of registering 10,000 voters. That year, Dobbs founded the Atlanta Civic and Political League, and in 1946 along with A. T. Walden, he co-founded the Atlanta Negro Voters League. During the 1930s and '40s, laws keeping blacks from voting were found to be unconstitutional. Between 1936 and 1946, 20,000 African-American voters were registered in Atlanta. With the power of the black vote behind him, Dobbs convinced Atlanta mayor William B. Hartsfield to integrate Atlanta's police force in 1948 and install gas lights along Auburn Avenue in 1949.