Gamaliel Bailey (December 3, 1807June 5, 1859) was an American physician who left that career to become an

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

journalist, editor, and publisher, working primarily in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

, and Washington, D.C. Anti-abolitionist mobs attacked his offices in both cities during the 1840s.

Biography

Born and raised in

Mount Holly Township, New Jersey Mount Holly is a township that is the county seat of Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an eastern suburb of Philadelphia, the nation's sixth largest city as of 2020, As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population ...

, in 1807, Bailey moved with his family to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

at the age of nine. He was educated at home and in local schools. Bailey graduated from the

Jefferson Medical College Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the un ...

, in 1827. He moved to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, where he served as editor of the ''Methodist Protestant'', a religious journal. In 1831, Bailey moved to

, where he set up a medical practice. He also lectured on

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemic ...

at the

Lane Theological Seminary Lane Seminary, sometimes called Cincinnati Lane Seminary, and later renamed Lane Theological Seminary, was a Presbyterian theological college that operated from 1829 to 1932 in Walnut Hills, Ohio, today a neighborhood in Cincinnati. Its camp ...

. Attending the Lane Debates on Slavery in February 1834 between pro- and anti-slavery students, he became an ardent abolitionist. The anti-slavery students withdrew from the seminary in protest for its condemnation of

abolitionism Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...

. In 1836, Bailey joined

James G. Birney James Gillespie Birney (February 4, 1792November 18, 1857) was an American abolitionist, politician, and attorney born in Danville, Kentucky. He changed from being a planter and slave owner to abolitionism, publishing the abolitionist weekly '' ...

in the editorial control of '' The Philanthropist'', the official newspaper of the

Ohio Anti-Slavery Society The Ohio Anti-Slavery Society (1835-1845) was an abolitionist society established in Zanesville, Ohio, by American activists such as Gamaliel Bailey, Asa Mahan, John Rankin, Charles Finney and Theordore Dwight Weld. Background Beginning The O ...

. The following year he succeeded Birney as editor. He directed the paper in publishing anti-slavery articles until 1847, in spite of threats and acts of violence — the printing office of ''The Philanthropist'' was wrecked three times by pro-slavery mobs. Beginning in 1843, Bailey also edited a daily paper, the ''Herald.'' In 1847, he assumed control of the new abolitionist publication, ''

The National Era ''The National Era'' was an abolitionist newspaper published weekly in Washington, D.C., from 1847 to 1860. Gamaliel Bailey was its editor in its first year. ''The National Era Prospectus'' stated in 1847: Each number contained four pages of ...

,'' in Washington, D.C. His offices were attacked by pro-slavery mobs; in 1848, he and his printers were under siege for three days as a mob held them hostage. This paper had a considerable circulation nationally. In 1851–1852, it published

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel '' Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the har ...

's novel, ''

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U ...

,'' in serial form. In December 1854, Bailey helped to persuade

Montgomery Blair Montgomery Blair (May 10, 1813 – July 27, 1883) was an American politician and lawyer from Maryland. He served in the Lincoln administration cabinet as Postmaster-General from 1861 to 1864, during the Civil War. He was the son of Francis Pres ...

to represent Dred Scott in his Supreme Court case ''

pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

'', by agreeing to underwrite his expenses. By May 11, 1857, the Scott case had incurred $63.18 in court costs and $91.50 for the printing of briefs. Bailey asked the 75 Republican members of Congress to contribute $2.00 each and covered the rest himself. In 1859, Bailey died at the age of 51 at sea, aboard the steamship ''Arago'', while en route to Europe. His body was originally buried in

Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American "cemetery of national m ...

in Washington, D.C. His wife,

Margaret Lucy Shands Bailey Margaret L. Bailey (, Shands; December 12, 1812 – 1888) was an American anti-slavery writer, poet, lyricist, as well as newspaper editor and publisher. She served as editor of ''The Youth's Monthly Visitor'', a children's magazine, and as the pu ...

, died in 1888 and was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery, across the city. Bailey's son, Marcellus, had his father's remains disinterred and reburied in an unmarked grave next to Margaret.

Writings

References

Bibliography

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External links

Gamaliel Bailey Correspondence
at the Princeton University Library Special Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Gamaliel 1807 births 1859 deaths 19th-century American physicians 19th-century American newspaper editors American abolitionists American Methodists Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) Lane Theological Seminary faculty Writers from Cincinnati People from Mount Holly, New Jersey Writers from Philadelphia People who died at sea Jefferson Medical College alumni Methodist abolitionists