James Preston Poindexter
James Preston Poindexter | |
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Baptist |
James Preston Poindexter (October 26, 1819 – February 7, 1907) was an
Biography
Early life
James Preston Poindexter was born in
Early career
Poindexter was baptized at the Second Baptist Church in Columbus in the spring of 1840, was ordained in 1849, and became pastor of the Second Baptist Church in 1862,[6] serving until 1893.[8][1] He was a member of the Pastor's Union and later elected president of the union.[6]
He frequently preached against slavery, working against the trend of many preachers failing to respond to claims that the Bible sanctioned slavery. In about 1857 he became president of the society called, "sons of protection," a position he held for 30 years,[6] a secretive African-American civil rights group associated with the Underground Railroad. Other African-American active abolitionists in Columbus included David Jenkins, John Booker, Leslie Washington Sr, and John T. Ward and where helped by white abolitionists including Joseph Sullivant, James E. Coulter, L. G. Van Slyke, Samuel H. Smith, James M. Westwater, the Keltons, William Hanby, Phillip Doddridge, and Eli M. Pinney. In December 1848, Poindexter played an important role in bringing Frederick Douglass to Columbus to speak at a Free Soil Party Convention.[9]
Later career
After the Civil War, Poindexter was a leading advocate for education of black children.[10] He was a delegate to the 1872 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia and was a delegate to state conventions many times.[2] In 1873, he was the first black man in Ohio nominated to run for a seat in the House of Representatives. He was nominated by the Republican Party, but was defeated[5] by the overwhelmingly Democratic electorate in Franklin County.[11]
Starting in 1880,
Death and legacy
In 1898 he resigned as pastor of the Second Baptist Church, although he continued to preach.
References
- ^ a b Zachariah, Holly. "Church marks 200th anniversary of birth of Rev. James Poindexter". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
- ^ a b c "A Notable Colored Man has just Passed Away". Xenia Daily Gazette. Xenia, Ohio. February 8, 1907. p. 7. Retrieved October 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Franklin County at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century, Historical Publishing Company (Franklin County, Ohio), 1901, p364
- ^ Simmons, 1887 gives the year as 1817
- ^ a b c d Simmons, Martha. Preaching with Sacred Fire: An Anthology of African American Sermons, 1750 to the Present. WW Norton & Company, 2010. p322-323
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Simmons, William J., and Henry McNeal Turner. Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. GM Rewell & Company, 1887. p394-404
- ^ [No Headline] Washington Bee (Washington, DC) June 4, 1887, page 3, accessed November 8, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7370010/no_headline_washington_bee/
- ^ a b c d Tom Betti, Doreen Uhas Sauer, On This Day in Columbus, Ohio History, Columbus Landmarks Foundation Arcadia Publishing, May 21, 2013
- ^ Cole, Charles Chester. A fragile capital: Identity and the early years of Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State University Press, 2001. p193-204
- ^ Public Schools for Colored Children, Daily Ohio Statesman (Columbus, Ohio) January 27, 1869, page 3, accessed October 5, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6906038/public_schools_for_colored_children/
- ^ No Headline, The Coschocton Democrat (Coshocton, Ohio) September 9, 1873, page 2, accessed October 5, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6906071/no_headline_the_coschocton_democrat/
- ^ [No Headline] The Eaton Democrat (Eaton, Ohio) April 23, 1885, page 1, accessed October 5, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6906119/no_headline_the_eaton_democrat/
- ^ Arnett, Benjamin William, Centennial Jubilee of Freedom at Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, September 22, 1888 : orations, poems, and addresses. Aldine Printing House (Xenia, Ohio) 1888
- ^ Kurtz, The Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati, Ohio) June 15, 1898, page 6, accessed October 5, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6906157/kurtz_the_cincinnati_enquirer/
- ^ Poindexter Resigns, The Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati, Ohio) April 5, 1898, page 4, accessed October 5, 2016 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6906136/poindexter_resigns_the_cincinnati/