Despite his success as a criminal lawyer , he was primarily a race relations advocate . By the early 1900s , McGhee became interested in the national discussion concerning racial discrimination and social equality . In 1905 , McGhee with Du Bois and others formed one of the first national civil rights organizations , the Niagara Movement , which was an attempt by more radical blacks to directly and honestly oppose the conservative actions and views of Booker T. Washington . The Niagara Movement was the forerunner of the NAACP . In September 1905 , Du Bois went so far as to give McGhee full credit for creating the more radical entity , stating , " The honor of founding the organization belongs to F. L. McGhee , who first suggested it . " McGhee was very active politically . He was chosen to be a presidential elector by the Minnesota Republican party in the spring of 1892 , but after protests by white Republicans , he was replaced before the start of the 1892 Republican National Convention , which was held in Minneapolis in June . McGhee remained a party member until the spring of 1893 , when party bosses reneged on another political promise . Frustrated , McGhee changed his allegiance to the Democratic Party ( United States ) , becoming one of the first nationally prominent black Democrats at a time when nearly all blacks were Republicans
1892 Republican National Convention
1892 Republican National Convention
Fredrick McGhee