Jacob Alson Long (April 6, 1846 – October 4, 1923) was a prominent lawyer in
Graham
Graham and Graeme may refer to:
People
* Graham (given name), an English-language given name
* Graham (surname), an English-language surname
* Graeme (surname), an English-language surname
* Graham (musician) (born 1979), Burmese singer
* Clan G ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. He was also one of the organizers of the original North Carolina branch of the
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
during the
Reconstruction Era
The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...
.
Childhood
Jacob Alson Long was the sixth of eight children born to Jacob Long and Jane Long (''
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
'' Stockard). Among his brothers was William Samual Long, first president of Elon College. After graduating from the Graham Institute, Jacob enrolled in the Hyco Academy in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
after his brother, Joseph Gibbs Long, was killed in the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
in 1863. Jacob Alson Long served briefly in Captain Wright’s Company of the Virginia Heavy Artillery.
Law career
After serving in the Civil War, Jacob Alson Long studied law under attorney William Kirkland Ruffin.
Klan activities
Jacob Alson Long was one of the organizers of the North Carolina Ku Klux Klan. Serving as the Chief of the County, he was instrumental in anchoring the Klan's activities in Alamance and Caswell Counties.
It is likely that Jacob Alson Long was involved (directly or indirectly) in the lynching of
Wyatt Outlaw
Wyatt Outlaw (1820February 26, 1870) was an American politician and the first African-American to serve as Town Commissioner and Constable of the town of Graham, North Carolina. He was lynched by the White Brotherhood, a branch of the Ku Klux Kla ...