Robert Stanton (Indiana politician)
Robert L. Stanton was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives, elected in 1932 and 1934 from Lake County, Indiana. A dentist from East Chicago, he was the first African American to be elected to the Indiana legislature on the Democratic ticket.
Stanton was born on April 15, 1902 in Newport, Arkansas. He graduated from Newport High School, and subsequently attended Shorter College from 1917 to 1919 and Wilberforce University from 1920 to 1922. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Meharry Medical College in 1925, where he also received his D.D.S. in 1929.
Upon graduating, Stanton moved to East Chicago and began practicing dentistry. He also joined the Better Government Democratic Political Club, where he was a member from approximately 1929 to 1932. His historic election as an African-American Democrat in 1932 was the product of many years of organizing by the local community. The 1932 election represented a historic breakthrough, because after shutting African Americans out of state politics entirely for many years, both parties had slated an African American candidate for the Lake County seat.
Stanton served two terms in the Indiana House, winning election in 1932 and 1934. Upon leaving the legislature, he moved to Indianapolis in 1937, and to Fort Wayne in 1941. In addition to his dental practice, he served in the Resettlement Administration office at Indianapolis from 1937 to 1938.
After more than 50 years in the profession, Stanton retired as a dentist in 1983. He was a member of the African Methodist Episcopal church, Alpha Phi Alpha, and the National Dental Association.
