George Washington Dupee (July 24, 1826 – 1897) was a former slave who became a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

leader in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, United States.

Early years

Dupee was born in

Gallatin County, Kentucky Gallatin County, is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Warsaw. The county was founded in 1798 and named for Albert Gallatin, the Secretary of the Treasury under President Thomas Jefferson. Ga ...

on 24 July 1826, son of Cuthbert and Rachael Dupee. His first owner was Elder Joseph Taylor, a Baptist preacher. After Taylor moved to Illinois, Dupee became a hired slave, working in a rope and bagging factory, and in a brickyard. In 1841 while he was working on the courthouse in

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

he came under the influence of Father David Woods, a Baptist preacher, and he was converted in August 1842.

Preacher

Dupee began attending meetings at the house of a white deacon, and was encouraged to improve his reading and writing and to become a preacher by Sister Phoebe Fields, a black woman. White church members voted to license him as a preacher in 1847. He was ordained as a minister in 1851. In 1853 he organized a church at the Old Big Spring, Woodford county, and in 1855 he organized a church in

Paris, Kentucky Paris is a home rule-class city in Bourbon County, Kentucky. It lies northeast of Lexington on the Stoner Fork of the Licking River. Paris is the seat of its county and forms part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. As ...

. He became pastor of the Pleasant Green church in Lexington, dividing his time between this church and his church in Georgetown. His congregation in Lexington purchased his freedom in 1856, when he was sold at an auction at the Scott Country courthouse. He became the first black pastor of the Georgetown Baptist Church, renamed the First African Baptist Church after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

(1861–1865).

Baptist leader

In 1861 Dupee organized the first meeting of colored ministers and deacons in the south or southwest states in

Versailles, Kentucky Versailles () is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 9,316 according to 2017 cen ...

. In 1864 he moved to Covington, and in 1865 became pastor of the Washington Street Colored Baptist Church in

Paducah Paducah ( ) is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky. The largest city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers, halfway between St. Louis, Missour ...

. In 1867 he organized a church in Cynthiana, and worked together with

Elisha Winfield Green Elisha Winfield Green (1893) was a former slave who became a Baptist leader in Kentucky, US. For five years he was moderator of the Consolidated Baptist Educational Association, and he promoted the establishment of what is now the Simmons College o ...

of Maysville. In September 1867, assisted by Elder S. Underwood and others, he organized the first district Baptist Association in the Washington Baptist Church, and was elected moderator. He was one of the organizers of the General Association of Colored Baptists of Kentucky in August 1867, and was moderator of this association from August 1871 to August 1881. In 1873 he launched the ''Baptist Herald'', later called ''The American Baptist''. He became Grand Senior Warden and Grand Master of the Kentucky Grand Lodge of Masons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dupee, George Washington Baptist ministers from the United States 1826 births 1897 deaths 19th-century American clergy