James Finley Wilson (August 28, 1881 – February 18, 1952)[1] was a newspaperman, leader of the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World.[2] held appointed public office, and was an influential community leader among African Americans.[3] Emory Libraries have several photographs of him.[4][5]
J. Finley Wilson | |
|---|---|
 This image contains President Roosevelt, Dr. Charles B. Fisher, General Convention Chairman, on the extreme left, and J. Finley Wilson, Grand Exulted Ruler, second from the extreme right. | |
| Born | August 28, 1881 Nashville, Tennessee |
| Died | February 18, 1952 |
| Occupation(s) | Newspaper editor and owner, activist, leader of the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World |
Early life
editWilson was born on August 28, 1881 the son of Reverend James L. Wilson and Nancy Wilson.[6] He grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and graduated from Pearl High School.[7] He studied at Fisk University.[8] Wilson went west at worked several odd jobs including mining and ranching before settling in as an editor of several papers.[6] He married Lea Belle Barrar of Richmond, Virginia on July 28, 1924.[9]
Career
editWilson owned the Washington, D.C. Eagle and other Black newspapers.[10] He was elected the leader, or Grand Exalted Ruler, of the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World on August 28, 1922.[10][6] Wilson grew the membership of the Elks from 30,000 to 500,000 by his death.[9] He was a Republican.[11] He wrote The mockery of Harding : an open letter published in 1922 and The colored Elks and national defense.[12]
He was described as a "flashy dresser who carries a cane and smokes dreadnaught cigars, he has a marked penchant for flowery speeches, prize fights, and horse races, and a marked distaste for the routine entailed by his lofty office."[10]
References
edit- ^ Chabot, Bruce Guy (2013). "Wilson, J. Finley". Oxford African American Studies Center. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.35424. ISBN 978-0-19-530173-1.
- ^ "Independent Elks meet". www.bklynlibrary.org.
- ^ "J. FINLEY WILSON". The New York Times. February 21, 1952.
- ^ "Emory Digital Collections".
- ^ "J. Finley Wilson dressed in an overcoat and hat standing next to an old style car with an African American woman inside the car, in front of steps leading up to a brick building - Emory Digital Collections".
- ^ a b c Brewer, W. M. (June 1952). "James Finley Wilson". The Negro History Bulletin. XV (9).
- ^ "James Finley Wilson". The Journal of Negro History. 37 (3): 356–358. July 1, 1952. doi:10.1086/JNHv37n3p356. S2CID 224836666 – via journals.uchicago.edu (Atypon).
- ^ "NMAH | Archives Center | Portraits of a City: The Scurlock Photographic Studio". amhistory.si.edu.
- ^ a b "James Finley Wilson". The Journal of Negro History. 37 (3): 356–358. 1952. doi:10.1086/JNHv37n3p356. JSTOR 2715508. S2CID 224836666 – via JSTOR.
- ^ a b c Ferguson, Charles W. (1979). Fifty million brothers: a panorama of American lodges and clubs (Repr. of the 1937 ed., New York ed.). Westport, Conn: Greenwood Pr. ISBN 978-0-8371-5188-5.
- ^ Nichols, Casey (September 9, 2008). "James Finley Wilson (1881-1952) •".
- ^ Wilson, James Finley (August 11, 1941). The colored Elks and national defense. Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World. OCLC 7387919 – via Open WorldCat.
External links
edit- Photo of an obituary on Flickr
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