Historic Black Memphians

Called by some "the angel of Beale Street," Julia Britton Hooks (1862-1942) was among the first black women in the country to attend college. Moving to Memphis in 1876, she taught in the public schools and later founded the Hooks Cottage School. She was a gifted musician whose pupils included W.C. Handy. As an early leader for social welfare, she founded the Negro Old Folks and Orphans Home in 1891, playing concerts to pay for the building. In 1917, she was a charter member of the NAACP; 60 years later, her grandson, Benjamin Hooks, became its national director.  

Our staff recommends the following link on Julia B. Hooks.

Bishop Charles H. Mason, International Church Founder

Born into slavery, Bishop Charles Harrison Mason (1862[?]-1961) founded the worldwide Church of God in Christ (COCIG). He organized his first church in 1907 with a handful of worshipers. At the time of his death, the church, with its headquarters in Memphis, had become one of the largest black denominations in America with 5,000 churches in 48 of the 50 states and Haiti, Puerto Rico, Africa, Mexico, Bermuda and the Virgin Islands. 

Our staff recommends the following link on Bishop Charles H. Mason.

Lt. George W. Lee, Author, Politician, Businessman

Proud of becoming one of the few black officers during World War I, George Washington Lee (1894-1976) was knows as Lt. Lee throughout his long and productive life. The senior vice-president of a national life insurance company, he was a leading force in Republican circles on both local and national levels. A novelist and short story writer, he was sometimes known as "The Boswell of Beale Street." Both his Beale Street Where the Blues Began (1934) and River George (1937) were named Book of the Month Club alternate selections. As a result of his many contributions, a Memphis Postal station is named in his honor, and his portrait hangs in the rotunda of the State Capitol in Nashville.  

Our staff recommends the following link on Lt. George W. Lee.

Ida B. Wells, Anti-Lynching Campaigner

Ida Barnett Wells (1862-1931) taught in the Memphis City Schools from 1884 to 1891. As editor and part-owner of the Memphis black newspaper Free Speech and Headlight, Ida B. Wells was forced to flee the city in 1892 because of her indignant editorials concerning the lynching of three black men on Mississippi Boulevard. She toured England in 1893-4 where her speeches denouncing lynching led to the formation of the powerful British Anti-Lynching Society. In 1913, Wells continued to lead the fight against racial and sexual discrimination when she founded the first black women's political club, "The Alpha Suffrage Club," in Chicago.  

Our staff recommends the following link on Ida B. Wells.

Robert R. Church, Sr., first black millionaire

Robert Reed Church, Sr., was a business leader, a philanthropist, and a millionaire. Born in Holly Springs, Mississippi, on June 18, 1839, he was the son of a white steamboat captain, Charles B. Church, and a slave seamstress, Emmeline, who died when Robert was twelve years old. After being captured and freed by Union forces during the Civil war, Robert Church settled in Memphis, becoming a successful businessman, owning a hotel, restaurant, saloon, bank, park and auditorium. Republican President Theodore Roosevelt spoke to a gathering of 10,000 persons in Church's Park and Auditorium. Musician and "Father of the Blues," William C. Handy, was employed as the orchestra leader. When the yellow fever epidemic killed more than half of Memphis' population of 16,000, the city had to give up its city charter in 1879. For $1,000, Robert Church, Sr. bought the first bond issued in an attempt to restore the city's charter. 

Our staff recommends the following link on Robert R. Church, Sr.

Our staff recommends the following link on Robert R. Church, Jr.

Rev. Thomas O. Fuller, minister, author and college president Thomas Oscar Fuller, Sr. (1867-1942) was born in North Carolina and died in Memphis. T.O. Fuller State Park in Memphis is named for him. Dr. Fuller spent his life empowering and educating African-Americans during the late 1800's and early 1900's. He was also a Baptist minister, North Carolina teacher and principal. In 1898, he was the only African-American senator in North Carolina. When T.O. Fuller State Park opened in 1942 as Shelby Bluffs State Park, it was the first park for African-Americans east of the Mississippi River and the second park for African-Americans in the nation during the early 1940's. It is the only state park within Memphis city limits. 

Our staff recommends the following link on Rev. Thomas O. Fuller

Madame Florence C. McCleave, musician and opera singer

Madame Florence Cole Talbert McCleave was the first black person to sing a fully staged Aida in Europe. She taught music at Tuskegee, Fisk and Rust colleges. She married Dr. Benjamin F. McCleave of Memphis, and taught music at her home at 475 Vance. She organized the Memphis Music Association, wrote articles for the Tri-State Defender and gave recitals to raise money for schools and churches. She also brought such singers as Marian Anderson and Roland Hayes to Memphis.

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