J. Finley Wilson

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

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]

Early life

Wilson 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

Wilson 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

1. 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.
2. "Independent Elks meet". www.bklynlibrary.org.
3. "J. FINLEY WILSON". The New York Times. February 21, 1952.
4. "Emory Digital Collections".
5. "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".
6. Brewer, W. M. (June 1952). "James Finley Wilson". The Negro History Bulletin. XV (9).
7. "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).
8. "NMAH | Archives Center | Portraits of a City: The Scurlock Photographic Studio". amhistory.si.edu.
9. "James Finley Wilson". The Journal of Negro History. 37 (3): 356–358. 1952. doi:10.1086/JNHv37n3p356. JSTOR 2715508. S2CID 224836666 – via JSTOR.
10. 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.
11. Nichols, Casey (September 9, 2008). "James Finley Wilson (1881-1952) •".
12. 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

• Photo of an obituary on Flickr