Dr. Matthew Oliver Ricketts was the generally acknowledged political leader of Omaha’s African Americans at the turn of the 20th century. Ricketts was born to an enslaved couple near New Castle, Kentucky in 1858. He later received a degree from Lincoln Institute at Jefferson City, Missouri, and three years later moved to Omaha. When he arrived in Omaha in 1880, despite scarce resources, he was admitted to Omaha Medical College, where he worked as a janitor to pay his tuition. Elected to the state legislature for the sessions of 1892 and 1894, he became the first Nebraskan of African descent to sit in that body.
You're right, even though Omaha is just an hour and a half away from here, Doc Ricketts has pretty much nothing whatsoever to do with the TOWN of Ricketts, but MOST of the rest of this website does!
If you grew up in Ricketts, be sure to plan on coming to our annual reunion, the third Saturday in July.
If you have memories or pictures of Ricketts to share, email them to our webmaster: ted.mallory -at- gmail.comIf you have other funny, kitsch, or corny "Not the same Ricketts" ideas, send them too. Help put Ricketts on the map!
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