Notable men of Alabama 1904 - Rufus Napoleon Rhodes

Rufus Napoleon Rhodes (June 5, 1856– January 12, 1910) was the founder, publisher, and managing editor of the ''

Birmingham News ''The Birmingham News'' was the principal newspaper for Birmingham, Alabama, United States in the latter half of the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st. The paper was owned by Advance Publications and was a daily newspaper from its f ...

'' in Alabama from 1888 until his death.

Early life and education

Rhodes was born in

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

. He was a lawyer by profession.

Career

Rhodes practiced law in

Clarksville, Tennessee Clarksville is a city in Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 166,722 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tennessee, fifth-most populo ...

, for four years. For a time, he was a private secretary to United States Senator James E. Bailey of

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, and served for one term in the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

. He later practiced law for four years in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He then moved to

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

. Rhodes launched ''The Evening News'', later renamed the ''Birmingham News'', on March 14, 1888''.'' He also served as a director of the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. Rhodes was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

s of 1892 and 1904, and served as a brigadier general in the

Alabama National Guard The Alabama National Guard is the National Guard of the U.S State of Alabama, and consists of the Alabama Army National Guard and the Alabama Air National Guard. (The Alabama State Defense Force is the third military unit of the Alabama Mil ...

in 1898. He was the first editor to endorse Grover Cleveland as president.

Death

He died in

, and is buried in Birmingham's Elmwood Cemetery and Mausoleum.

References

1856 births 1910 deaths 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Businesspeople from Birmingham, Alabama People from Pascagoula, Mississippi United States Army generals Journalists from Alabama Journalists from Mississippi Burials at Elmwood Cemetery (Birmingham, Alabama) {{authority control