Tourgée, Albion W. 1838-1905

American politician and author.

From the description of Autograph letter signed : Philadelphia, to an unidentified recipient, 1882 Jun. 16. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270572884

Author, civil rights leader, and jurist Albion W. Tourgée was born May 2, 1838 in Williamsfield in the Western Reserve of Ohio, then a center of abolitionist activity. He attended the University of Rochester in New York, but left to enlist in the Union army during the Civil War. Wounded in battle, he resumed his studies at Rochester, then re-enlisted and was wounded again and taken prisoner by the Confederacy. After the war, Tourgée studied law and was admitted to the Ohio bar. Genuinely concerned with reform, Tourgée joined the flood of northerners in 1865 that poured into the South. Settling in Greensboro, North Carolina, Tourgée practiced law, and was soon caught up in Reconstruction politics. After helping to found the North Carolina Republican Party in 1868, Tourgée was elected to the state's constitutional convention. His platform called for reform in prisons, schools, and state and local government, as well as rights for African Americans. Tourgée served on the state superior court for six years, and gained a reputation for radicalism, trying unsuccessfully to use the courts to stop Ku Klux Klan violence. When Reconstruction came to an end in North Carolina, Tourgée went to New York and began a new career as a novelist. Of his books, the most successful were A Fool's Errand (1879) and Bricks Without Straw (1880). He continued to crusade for the rights of African Americans, and in 1891 he founded the National Citizens Rights Association. Tourgée spent his last years in Bordeaux, France, where President William McKinley had appointed him U.S. consul. He died May 21, 1905.

From the description of Albion Tourgée letters, 1880-1896. (University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 731183080

Epithet: American author

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000266.0x0001c1

Author and N.C. superior court judge.

From the description of Papers, 1871-1897. (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 43738557

Civil War soldier, newspaperman, author, North Carolina judge, congressional candidate.

From the description of Letter to an unnamed correspondent, [1883.]. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 53357342

Carpet-bagger; author.

From the description of Papers of Albion Tourgée [manuscript], 1881-1891. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647906358

Author, politician.

From the description of Papers, 1801-[1945] (New York State Historical Documents). WorldCat record id: 155441034