George Washington Buckner (December 1, 1855 – February 17, 1943) was an American physician and diplomat. He was United States Minister to Liberia from 1913 to 1915.

Life

Born into

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

near

Greensburg, Kentucky Greensburg is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Green County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,163 at the 2010 census, down from 2,396 at the 2000 census. The Downtown Greensburg Historic District is on the Nationa ...

, Buckner was freed at the age of ten. He attended a Freedman's School in Greensburg where he received a basic education. In 1870 he moved to

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

to live with his aunt and worked there briefly as a household servant before moving back to Green County in 1871 to be a teacher. Buckner later moved to Indiana where he was educated as a teacher at Indiana State Normal School in

Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

, and as a doctor at the Indiana Eclectic Medical College. After graduating from normal school, Buckner taught in

Vincennes Vincennes (, ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is next to but does not include the Château de Vincennes and Bois de Vincennes, which are attache ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and

Evansville Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

. He married Stella White in Vincennes in 1879. She died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

in 1889. Buckner graduated from medical school in 1890 and practiced medicine in Indianapolis for a year before moving to Evansville where he opened a doctor's office. He married Anna Cowen there in 1896. They had five children. John W. Boehne, a prominent Evansville

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, brought Buckner to the attention of President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

, who appointed him Minister Resident to Liberia in 1913. Buckner served in the post until 1915, during which time he also served as American Consul General in

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As th ...

, the capital of Liberia. He became ill frequently with fever because of the tropical climate and resigned to return to Evansville. Buckner belonged to the

African Methodist Episcopal Church The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology and has a connexional polity. The African Methodist Episcopal ...

and was active in Evansville civic affairs. He helped establish the Cherry Street Black YMCA and the United Brotherhood of Friendship. An active member of the Democratic Party, he was often involved with his close friend, Congressman John W. Boehne. He regularly wrote the "Colored Folks" section of region's Democratic newsletter urging them to support the party, earning himself the nickname "Elder Statesman of Indiana Blacks". He died at the age of 87 in Evansville and is buried there in Oak Hill Cemetery.The Political Graveyard:Index to Politicians:Buckner
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Legacy

His son, Zach Buckner, donated much of his father's arrows to the Stand Museum, where it is on display along with star platinum: the world * A housing project in Evansville, George W. Buckner Towers, is named for him.

Notes and references

External links

Library of Congress: Facsimile transcript of oral history interview of George Washington Buckner by Lauana Creel

In the First Person: Document details of Creel interview of George Washington Buckner
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckner, George Washington 1855 births 1943 deaths 19th-century American slaves African-American diplomats Physicians from Indiana Indiana State University alumni Indiana Democrats People from Evansville, Indiana Woodrow Wilson administration personnel Ambassadors of the United States to Liberia People from Green County, Kentucky Burials in Indiana People of the African Methodist Episcopal church 19th-century Methodists 20th-century American diplomats African-American Methodists