Timothy Thomas Fortune (October 3, 1856June 2, 1928) was an orator, civil rights leader, journalist, writer, editor and publisher. He was the highly influential editor of the nation's leading black newspaper ''

The New York Age ''The New York Age'' was a weekly newspaper established in 1887. It was widely considered one of the most prominent African-American newspapers of its time.

'' and was the leading economist in the black community. He was a long-time adviser to

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...

and was the editor of Washington's first autobiography, ''The Story of My Life and Work''. Fortune's philosophy of militant agitation on behalf of the rights of black people laid one of the foundations of the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

Early life

Timothy Thomas Fortune was born into slavery in Marianna, Jackson County,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, to Emanuel and Sarah Jane Fortune, and started his education at Marianna's first school for African Americans after the Civil War. His family moved to

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, where he attended Edwin M. Stanton School (predecessor of

Stanton College Preparatory School Stanton College Preparatory School is a preparatory high school in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Stanton College Preparatory School is a highly selective school that offers both the Advanced Placement and the International Baccalaureate. ...

) He worked both as a page in the state senate and as apprentice printer at a Jacksonville newspaper during the time that his father, Emanuel, was a

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology * Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...

politician in Florida. At one time Fortune also worked at the ''Marianna Courier'' and later the '' Jacksonville Daily-Times Union''. These experiences would be the start of a career in which his work was published in more than twenty books and articles and in more than three hundred editorials. In 1874 he was mail route agent and then he was promoted to

customs inspector A customs officer is a law enforcement agent who enforces customs laws, on behalf of a government. Canada Canadian customs officers are members of the Canada Border Services Agency. It was created in 2003 and preceded by the Canada Customs and ...

for the eastern district of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent ...

but only held this position for a few months before resigning in order to attend

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

. Although he was mostly self-taught prior to his college enrollment in 1875, Fortune was admitted to study law. He changed his major to journalism after two semesters before leaving school altogether to begin work, in 1876, at the ''People's Advocate'', a newspaper in Washington, D.C. On February 21, 1878, Fortune married Carrie C. Smiley (''née'' Caroline Charlotte Smiley; 1860–1940) in Washington, D.C.

Irvine Garland Penn Irvine Garland Penn (October 7, 1867 – July 22, 1930) was an educator, journalist, and lay leader in the Methodist Episcopal church in the United States. He was the author of '' The Afro-American Press and Its Editors'', published in 1891, and a ...

, ''The Afro-American Press and Its Editors'', Willey & Company, 1891, pp. 133–138.

New York journalist

Fortune moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1879 and began a process whereby over the next two decades he would become known as editor and owner of a newspaper named first the ''Globe'', then the ''Freeman'', and finally the ''

New York Age ''The New York Age'' was a weekly newspaper established in 1887. It was widely considered one of the most prominent African-American newspapers of its time.

''. Upon arrival in New York, Fortune began working as a printer, and worked at ''The Weekly Witness''. In 1880 he became journalist and editor of ''The Rumor'', run by George Parker and William Walter Sampson. This journal soon changed its name to ''The New York Globe''. The ''Globe'' closed in November 1884 after a dispute with co-editor

William B. Derrick William B. Derrick (July 27, 1843 – April 15, 1913) was an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) bishop and missionary. He worked as a seaman early in his life and served in the Union Navy during the US Civil War. After the war, he joined the AME c ...

, and one week later, on November 22, Fortune published the first issue of his ''New York Freeman''. In the late 1880s, he was considered the greatest black newspaper writer in America. That same year he published a book entitled '' Black and White: Land, Labor, and Politics in the South'' that, along with his 1885 pamphlet, ''The Negro in Politics'', openly challenged

Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...

dictum In general usage, a dictum ( in Latin; plural dicta) is an authoritative or dogmatic statement. In some contexts, such as legal writing and church cantata librettos, ''dictum'' can have a specific meaning. Legal writing In United States legal ter ...

that "the Republican Party is the ship, all else the open sea". In 1885, ''The Freeman'' took the new name of ''

The New York Age ''The New York Age'' was a weekly newspaper established in 1887. It was widely considered one of the most prominent African-American newspapers of its time.

'' and set out to become "The Afro-American Journal of News and Opinion". In 1890 Fortune was elected chairman of the executive committee of the National Afro-American Press Association at their meeting in Indianapolis. Afro-American Council 1902

In Chicago on January 25, 1890, Fortune co-founded the

militant The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Latin ...

National Afro-American League The National Afro-American League was formed on January 25, 1890, by Timothy Thomas Fortune. Preceding the foundation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the organization dedicated itself to racial solidarity ...

to right wrongs against

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

authorized by law and sanctioned or tolerated by public opinion. The league fell apart after four years. When it was revived in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

, on September 15, 1898, it had the new name of the "

National Afro-American Council The National Afro-American Council was the first nationwide civil rights organization in the United States, created in 1898 in Rochester, New York. Before its dissolution a decade later, the Council provided both the first national arena for di ...

", with Bishop

Alexander Walters Bishop Alexander Walters (August 1, 1858 – February 2, 1917) was an American clergyman and noted civil rights leader. Born a slave in Bardstown, Kentucky, just before the Civil War, he rose to become a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal ...

as its first President and Fortune as a prominent member. Walters was followed as president by Fortune, who held the position from 1902 to 1904, and was succeeded by

William Henry Steward William Henry Steward (July 26, 1847 – January 3, 1935) was a civil rights activist from Louisville, Kentucky. In February 1876, he was appointed the first black letter carrier in Kentucky. He was the leading layman of the General Association of ...

played a dominant role on the council and it included a number of important leaders, including

W. E. B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American-Ghanaian sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up i ...

, who went on to form the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&n ...

, and anti-lynching activist Ida B. Wells. The League and the council had a vital role in setting the stage for the

Niagara Movement The Niagara Movement (NM) was a black civil rights organization founded in 1905 by a group of activists—many of whom were among the vanguard of African-American lawyers in the United States—led by W. E. B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter ...

, NAACP, and other

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...

organizations to follow. Fortune was also the leading advocate of using "

Afro-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...

" to identify his people. Since they are " African in origin and

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

in birth", it was his argument that it most accurately defined them. With Fortune at the helm as co-owner with Emanuel Fortune, Jr., and Jerome B. Peterson, the ''New York Age'' became the most widely read of all Black newspapers. It stood at the forefront as a voice agitating against the evils of

discrimination Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of Racial discrimination, r ...

lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...

mob violence A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...

, and

disenfranchisement Disfranchisement, also called disenfranchisement, or voter disqualification is the restriction of suffrage (the right to vote) of a person or group of people, or a practice that has the effect of preventing a person exercising the right to vote. D ...

. Its popularity was due in part to Fortune's editorials, which condemned all forms of discrimination and demanded full justice for all African Americans. Ida B. Wells's newspaper '' Memphis Free Speech and Headlight'' had its printing press destroyed and building burned as the result of an article published in it on May 25, 1892. Fortune then gave her a job and a new platform from which to detail and condemn

. His book ''The Kind of Education the Afro-American Most Needs'' was published in 1898, and ''Dreams of Life: Miscellaneous Poems'' in 1905. After a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...

, Fortune sold the ''New York Age'' to Fred R. Moore in 1907, who continued publishing it until 1960. Fortune published another book, ''The New York Negro in Journalism'', in 1915. In the 1900 presidential election he campaigned for

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in t ...

, and he was politically active in the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

. However, he was noted for criticizing corruption in both parties and advocating good principles for all.

''Negro World''

Fortune went to work as an editor at the

Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) is a black nationalist fraternal organization founded by Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican immigrant to the United States, and Amy Ashwood Garvey. The Pan-African o ...

's house organ, the '' Negro World'', in 1923. Its circulation, at its height, was more than 200,000. With distribution throughout the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, the Caribbean and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

. Fortune rubbed shoulders with such literary luminaries as

Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) was an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-1900s American South and published research on hoodoo. The most popular of her four n ...

, W. A. Domingo, Hubert Harrison, and

John E. Bruce John Eldridge Bruce (October 1, 1856 – August 17, 1924) was an American lawyer, politician, and civil servant. He served in the Ohio House of Representatives and mayor of College Hill, Ohio. Bruce became the personal attorney to Ban Johnson, ...

Later life

Fortune moved to

Red Bank, New Jersey Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Incorporated in 1908, the community is on the Navesink River, the area's original transportation route to the ocean and other ports. Red Bank is in the New York Metropolitan ...

, in 1901, where he built his home, Maple Hall. The house was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on December 8, 1976, and the

New Jersey Register of Historic Places The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The program is administered by the New Jersey's state historic preservation office with ...

on August 16, 1979. Fortune died in 1928 at the age of 71 in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

and is interred at Eden Cemetery in

Collingdale, Pennsylvania Collingdale is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The population was 8,908, at the 2020 census. Local governance Donna Matteo-Spadea is the current mayor of Collingdale. Frank Kelly served twelve consecutive four-year terms as Mayor of ...

.Renewed Efforts To Save Home Of Journalist T. Thomas Fortune
/ref>

References

Sources

* Curry, Tommy J. "The Fortune of Wells: Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s Use of T. Thomas Fortune’s Philosophy of Social Agitation as a Prolegomenon to Militant Civil Rights Activism," ''Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society: A Quarterly Journal in American Philosophy'' (2012), 48#4, pp. 457–82 i
Project MUSE
* Nelson, Claudia D. "The Men that Influenced Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Jim Wells, T. Thomas Fortune, and Frederick Douglass," ''Making Connections: A Journal for Teachers of Cultural Diversity'' (2006), 10#1, pp. 25–44. * Thornbrough, Emma Lou. '' T. Thomas Fortune: Militant Journalist'' (1972), the standard scholarly biography

Primary sources

* Alexander, Shawn, ed. ''T. Thomas Fortune, the Afro-American Agitator: A Collection of Writings, 1880-1928'' (2010)

External links

Soldiers without Swords BiographiesTuskegee's point-man, Timothy FortuneLetter from T. Thomas Fortune to George Myers
* ttp://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/14902.html An Army of Lions: The Civil Rights Struggle Before the NAACP* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fortune, Timothy Thomas 1856 births 1928 deaths African-American writers Howard University alumni People from Red Bank, New Jersey Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League members People from Marianna, Florida New York (state) Republicans New Jersey Republicans Burials at Eden Cemetery (Collingdale, Pennsylvania)