Among the earliest of the Black lawyers was Alfred Augustus Fleming, a solicitor in St Catherine. Born in 1862, he was admitted to practice as a solicitor on August 16, 1888, after being articled briefly to S H Watson. His offices were at 10 Martin Street in Spanish Town. There were other Black solicitors in the 1890s, namely H. R. Walters and J. H. Johnson, but Fleming was the most successful, and went on to a political career. In 1898 he was appointed solicitor to the St Catherine Parochial Board and in 1908 he was made a Notary Public in St Catherine.
The Daily Gleaner
Tuesday, June 21, 1898 (page 1) Parochial Board of St Catherine The acting Clerk of the Board presented the memo which Revd Linton handed in last meeting and which he was directed to send in to Mr Fleming for signature duly signed by him, where upon the vice Chairman moved seconded by Rev G. C. Linton the following resolution which was unanimously adopted Resolved That the memorandum agreement entered into by Mr A. A. Fleming (solicitor) with the Saint Catherine Parochial Board be accepted and that the said A. A. Fleming be appointed and is hereby appointed the solicitor for the said Board at the salary of £60 (sixty pounds) per annum, payable monthly and that the appointment be annual the salary be met from the following account surplus, say £30, General Purposes Fund £10, Spanish Town market £10 Old Harbour market £10 and that the Governor's sanction to the expenditure be asked thereto. |
In 1911 he was elected Member of the Legislative Council for the parish of St Catherine in a close contest, while another Black candidate, Fred R Evans was elected for Westmoreland. They were the fifth and sixth Black men elected to the Legislative Council, the others being Alexander Dixon in 1899 and 1901, Josiah Smicle in 1900, Robert Love in 1906 and William Buchanan in 1910. In 1917 he was appointed to the Commission of Enquiry which investigated the events leading to the resignation of Dr G. D. B. Gordon, a Black Jamaican doctor who was acting Medical Officer in Buff Bay. No general election was held during the 1914-18 war, and Fleming declined the popular demand that he stand again for the St Catherine seat, when elections were held in early 1920. The seat was won by the Rev George L Young, a well-known minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
After leaving the Legislative Council, Fleming continued his legal practice, and as a prominent figure in public life, especially in St Catherine; concerts, lectures and public functions almost always found him in the Chair or at least seated on the platform.
His health began to deteriorate, and he died on the 6th July 1927, after an illness of two weeks, leaving a widow and three children. He was remembered as a man of conservative views, who was known for his unfailing courtesy and kindness to all.
While serving as MLC for St Catherine, Fleming continued his practice as a solicitor, since being an elected political representative was not then the full time job it has since become.
His health began to deteriorate, and he died on the 6th July 1927, after an illness of two weeks, leaving a widow and three children. He was remembered as a man of conservative views, who was known for his unfailing courtesy and kindness to all.
While serving as MLC for St Catherine, Fleming continued his practice as a solicitor, since being an elected political representative was not then the full time job it has since become.