Gurley Brewer (1866–1919) was an American attorney, newspaper publisher, and political activist. Brewer is best remembered as the editor of the ''Indianapolis World,'' one of the first

African 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 ens ...

newspapers in the state of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Biography

Early years

Gurley Brewer was born in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

in 1866, the son of Edward Brewer, a

barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...

, and his wife. Mary. "Gurley Brewer, Gifted Colored Man, Is Dead,"
''Richmond NItem,'' April 2, 1919, pg. 2. The family moved to the town of

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 attached ...

when Gurley was a small boy. Brewer was a graduate of

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University is a private historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans. It participates in t ...

, a historically black college affiliated with the

African Methodist Episcopal Church The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a Black church, predominantly African American Methodist Religious denomination, denomination. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology and has a connexionalism, c ...

, located in

Wilberforce, Ohio Wilberforce is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,271 at the 2010 census, up from 1,579 at the 2000 census. History After Wilberforce College was established in 1856, the community was a ...

."Colored Man Admitted to Practice,"
''Indianapolis News,'' Feb. 11, 1890, pg. 1. He graduated with honors in 1888."First of the Kind in That Section,"
''Indianapolis Journal,'' Feb. 12, 1890, pg. 2.

Career

A talented public speaker, in 1888 Brewer toured the state of Indiana on behalf of

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Presidential candidate

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

at the request of the Indiana Republican State Central Committee. Brewer would regularly speak on behalf of the Republican Party during political campaign season for the rest of his life. Brewer was admitted to the Indiana state bar as a practicing attorney in February 1890, becoming the first African-American man ever admitted to bar in Southern Indiana. He opened up a practice in his hometown of

. Brewer also served as the principal of the segregated "colored schools" of

Mt. Vernon, Indiana Mount Vernon is a city in and the county seat of Posey County, Indiana, United States. Located in the state's far southwestern corner, within of both the southernmost or westernmost points, it is the westernmost city in the state. The southernmo ...

from 1894 to 1897. In 1900 Brewer was named Deputy State Historian of Indiana.Vincent Saunders, "The Horizon," ''The Crisis,'' vol. 18, no. 2, whole no. 104 (June 1919), pg. 103. He was also a Deputy State Statistician in that year and was elected an alternate delegate to the 1900 Republican National Convention. From the first years of the 20th Century Brewer was editor of the '' Indianapolis World,'' one of the first black newspapers in the state of Indiana. Brewer frequently took a conservative editorial line, in editorializing in 1903 in favor of the Negro Business League, a group formed in Indianapolis to remove disaffected and unemployed blacks from the community, with a view to assuaging troubled race relations. In July 1903 Brewer publicly declared:

It is very easy to determine who the shiftless, worthless negroes are, for they are found almost altogether in the Indiana Avenue district. Agents of the Negro Business League will make inquiry concerning them, and those who will not work will be reported to the authorities with a request that they be driven out of town.

Brewer became co-publisher of the ''World'' with Alexander Manning in 1904, remaining at the helm until 1912. In this capacity he was active in the

National Negro Press Association National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

, of which he was elected Second Vice President in 1913. A staunch supporter of the Republican Party, Brewer backed the conservative

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

in the controversial 1912 election against the progressive campaign of former Republican President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

. Early in 1919 Brewer was named Indiana Deputy State Oil Inspector.

Death and legacy

Gurley Brewer died at his home in Indianapolis of a heart attack on March 30, 1919. He was 53 years old at the time of his death. A memorial service was held for Brewer on April 4, 1919, a gathering addressed by prominent Republicans including Indiana Governor

James P. Goodrich James Putnam Goodrich, (February 18, 1864 – August 15, 1940), was an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as the 29th governor of Indiana from 1917 to 1921. His term focused on reforming the operations of the ...

and Indianapolis Mayor Charles W. Jewett."Colored Boys Join Parade," ''Indianapolis Star,'' May 4, 1919, pg. 70.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brewer, Gurley 1866 births 1919 deaths Wilberforce University alumni People from Vincennes, Indiana People from Indianapolis Indiana Republicans American newspaper publishers (people) 19th-century American businesspeople 20th-century African-American lawyers