Charles B. W. Gordon Sr.

Rev. Charles Benjamin William Gordon Sr. (1861–1941) American newspaper publisher, author, journalist, and Baptist minister. He was the publisher and editor of The National Pilot (The Pilot), a Baptist weekly newspaper published in Petersburg, Virginia.

Charles B.W. Gordon Sr.
Charles B. W. Gordon Sr., c. 1890
Born
Charles Benjamin William Gordon

November 1, 1861
Colerian, Bertie County, North Carolina, United States
DiedSeptember 15, 1941 (aged 89)
Petersburg City, Virginia, United States
Burial placeLittle Church Street Cemetery, Petersburg City, Virginia, United States
EducationRichmond Theological Seminary,
Virginia Union University
Occupation(s)Newspaper publisher, journalist, writer, Baptist minister

Biography

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Charles Benjamin William Gordon was born on November 1, 1861, in Colerian, Bertie County, North Carolina.[1][2][3] He attended education classes with Thomas Mixon in Roanoke Island, North Carolina.[1]

 
Charles B. W. Gordon Sr.

From 1881 to 1884, Gordon attended the Richmond Theological Seminary (now Richmond Theological Institute) in Richmond, Virginia,[1] which later merged in 1899 to form the Virginia Union University.[2][3]

On May 1888, Gordon launched The Pilot, and served as the editor and publisher.[1] After The Baptist Companion from Portsmouth, Virginia stopped publication, The Pilot was used as an organ during the Virginia Baptist State Convention.[1][4]

He was the pastor at one of the largest congregations, at the First Baptist Church in Petersburg, Virginia.[5] In 1890, he founded Tabernacle Baptist Church in Petersburg.[6] He died on September 15, 1941, in Petersburg City, Virginia, and is buried at Little Church Street Cemetery.

A profile of Gordon is included in the books, The Afro-American Press and Its Editors (1891), and Who's Who Among the Colored Baptists of the United States (1890).

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Penn, Irvine Garland (1891). "Rev. Charles B. W. Gordon, Editor National Pilot". The Afro-American Press and Its Editors. Willey & Company. ISBN 978-0-598-58268-3 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b Distinguished Successful Americans of Our Day. Successful Americans. 1911. p. 216 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b Herringshaw, Thomas William (1909). "Gordon, Charles Benjamin William". Herringshaw's National Library of American Biography. American publishers' association. p. 609.
  4. ^ "First Baptist Church, Petersburg, Virginia", Virginia African American Heritage Program, African American Historic Sites Database, Archived February 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "He Lost His Pulpit". The Charlotte News. 1890-03-20. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-10-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Luqman-Dawson, Amina (2008). African Americans of Petersburg. Arcadia Publishing. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-7385-5414-3.
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