Wesley Herbert Jamison was born July 20, 1889 at Topeka. His father was a lawyer, and Wesley followed him into the profession. He attended the University of Kansas Law School, passing the bar examinations in 1913. This is also what qualified him for officers’ training school, where he got his commission as a 2nd lieutenant. He served in the 351st Machine Gun Battalion of the 92nd Division.
In June of 1918 he asked for a divorce of his wife, Margaret. It was granted, and she received alimony of $60.00 a month with $10.00 a month for attorneys fees for ten months.
His World War I draft registration indicates that he also farmed in North Topeka, in addition to being a lawyer.
Sometime before 1930 he moved with his mother to Chicago, where he apparently spent the rest of his life. The 1930 census shows that both mother and son claimed to be Indian (Native American) although all other censuses claim Negro.
It is not known when he died.
Continuing the recognition of African Americans from Kansas who attended the officers’ training school at Fort Des Moines, Iowa: https://www.kansasww1.org/the-african-american-soldier-kansans-at-fort-des-moines/
Blair Tarr
Blair Tarr is the Museum Curator of the Kansas State Historical Society. He oversees the three-dimensional collections of the Society, but has special interests in the Civil War, Wichita-made Valentine diners, and Leavenworth's Abernathy Furniture. In the last few years he has also done a lot of cramming on The Great War. He is a past president of the Kansas Museums Association and the Civil War Round Tables of both Kansas City and Eastern Kansas. He is currently a board member of the Heritage League of Greater Kansas City.
Here is a photo I found of Jamison at the Library of Congress Archives.
I hope you’ll include it here with his bio. Thanks for the work you do, it’s needed and appreciated!
https://www.loc.gov/item/2017648696/
Thank you, Luci!