Who We Are
About Us
Our Mission
The mission of the Frederick Douglass Republicans of Tarrant County is to maximize the growth and participation of the African Americans in the Republican Party and to be a resource for empowerment, as well as economic, political and social issues affecting the African American at all levels of government.
Our Vision
Our members promote the precept issued by our founder, Reby Cary, who said, “Be an informed, intelligent voter, make your vote count: remember!”
Our Founder
Mr. Reby Cary
The Frederick Douglass Republicans of Tarrant County was founded by Mr. Reby Cary,
Reby Cary -2018 ) was born and raised in Fort Worth. Mr. Cary grew up in a religious household, the son of Reverend Smith Cary, who founded the Rising Star Baptist Church in Fort Worth. In 1937, Mr. Cary graduated from I. M. Terrell High School, the first black school in Fort Worth. After graduating, he attended Prairie View A&M University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science in 1941.
By 1942, Mr. Cary had completed the requirements for a Master of Science in History and Political Science except for the dissertation. However, that year he was drafted and volunteered to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard. Mr. Cary was only the third African-American man admitted to the Student Radioman School in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and graduated in 1943. After being assigned to the U.S.S. Cambria, he served in Saipan, Japan, and Okinawa Island. Mr. Cary was discharged in 1945, and returned to Texas to earn a Master of Science in History and Political Science at Prairie View A&M University. He furthered his education by taking graduate courses at Texas Christian University and North Texas State University.
Mr. Cary has served the Fort Worth area in multiple capacities. In the education field, he taught in many places in the Fort Worth area, including as a History Instructor and Counselor at Dunbar High School, Assistant Professor of History and Associate Dean of Student Life at the University of Texas at Arlington (1969 - 1978), as well as the Director of Minority Affairs (1975 - 1978).
In 1974, he was the first African-American elected to the Fort Worth School Board. Politics have also been a way for Mr. Cary to serve the area. In addition to serving in the Texas State House of Representatives, he held leadership positions in the Frederick Douglass Republicans of Tarrant County and the Texas Council of Black Republicans.
Mr. Cary has also held positions in various organizations such as Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Youth Services Bureau of Tarrant County, Fort Worth Minority Leaders and Citizens’ Council, Boy Scouts of America, United Way of Tarrant County, Fort Worth Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Tax Appraisal Review Board of Tarrant County, and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority. In addition to owning his own real estate company, Cary Real Estate, he has also found the time to author seven books on African-Americans in Texas.
Mr. Cary departed this life the morning of December 8, 2018.
