Adelbert H. Roberts (August 20, 1866 – January 26, 1937) was an American politician who in 1924 became the first African American to serve in the Illinois Senate.

Roberts was born August 20, 1866, in Decatur, Michigan.^[1] He graduated from high school at 17 and became a teacher. He then chose to take Ph.D. coursework at University of Michigan before attending Northwestern University School of Law. In 1895, he married Lula Wiley with whom he would have four children.^[2]

In 1918, Roberts was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives as a Republican. After the Chicago race riot of 1919, Governor Frank Orren Lowden's appointed Roberts to the Chicago Commission on Race Relations created in response to the incident.^[3] He was appointed to the Illinois Senate in 1924 to fill a vacancy and elected to the Senate in 1926 and 1930. During his tenure, he was a resident of the Douglas community area.^[1]

Roberts died January 26, 1937, in Chicago. He was survived by Lula and two of his sons.^[4]

In 1984, Senator Margaret Smith and Representative Howard B. Brookins Sr. successfully campaigned to have a statue of Roberts installed in the Capitol rotunda.^[3]