William Henry Twine
William Henry Twine was an African-American lawyer and newspaper publisher who settled in Oklahoma. Twine is noted for having published the Muskogee Cimeter in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He was among the earliest African-American attorneys to practice in modern-day Oklahoma.
Biography
Twine was born in Richmond, Kentucky on December 10, 1864. He was born a freeman. His father, Thomas J. Twine, was a wheelwright and former slave believed to be of mixed Black and Native Americans in [the United States|Native American] ancestry; his mother, Lizzie Twine, was described as a "straight born African".Twine moved to Texas, where he was admitted to the bar. Twine went on to settle a homestead in Oklahoma, first arriving in the Oklahoma Territory in September 1891.
As an attorney, he defended African American clients, and reportedly slept at the jail on occasion to help deter lynchings. He was the first American-American permitted to practice law in the Indian Territory.
Publishing career
From 1898 to 1904, he edited the Pioneer Paper in Texas. He published the Muskogee Cimeter from 1904 to 1921. The publication was aligned with the Republican Party and reported on political matters pertaining to the Black community.Some issues of the Muskogee Cimeter are available on the Library of Congress website.
Twine retired from the publishing industry in 1921, but continued his law practice.