Rev. Tunis Gulic Campbell Sr. (April 1, 1812 – December 4, 1891), called "the oldest and best known clergyman in the African Methodist Church", served as a voter registration organizer, Justice of the Peace, a delegate to the Georgia Constitutional Convention of 1867–1868, and as a Georgia state senator during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

. He also published an autobiography
''Sufferings of the Reverend T.G. Campbell and His Family in Georgia''
(1877). An African American, he was a major figure in

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. He reportedly had a 400-person militia to protect him from the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

. Like Governor

Rufus Bullock Rufus Brown Bullock (March 28, 1834 – April 27, 1907) was an American politician and businessman from Georgia. A Republican, he served as the state's governor during the Reconstruction Era. He called for equal economic opportunity and political ...

, he eventually had to flee the state to save his life.

Biography

Born in Middlebrook, New Jersey, Tunis Campbell was one of ten siblings, the son of a blacksmith. At age 5 he was "taken in charge" by a white man, who sent him to what he later described as an "Episcopal" boarding school in Babylon, Long Island, New York; he was the only Black student there. It was part o
First Presbyterian Church of Babylon
The sender was likely a member of Presbyterian Church at Bound Brook, another of the oldest Scottish Presbyterian congregations in the US. There he remained until he was 18. He then became a "Methodist," and turned down an invitation to go to Africa as a missionary. He began his career as an

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

and anti-

colonization 475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence. Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples f ...

lecturer, and Methodist and Temperance preacher. In 1832 he set up an anticolonization society in Brooklyn. He was several times mobbed and once was nearly killed.

A head waiter in New York

Campbell was the principal waiter at the Howard Hotel in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

for some time (at least from 1842 to 45). He later wrote a well-regarded 1848 guide to hotel management
''Hotel Keepers, Head Waiters, and Housekeepers' Guide''
(1848), one of the earliest hospitality books by an African American. A collection of culinary recipes and counsel on hotel management, its advice to employers and employees alike, offered guidance to African-American workers in one of the available sources of paid employment.Lynch, Matthew, ed
Before Obama: A Reappraisal of Black Reconstruction Era Politicians, Volume 1
p. 167 (2012) At the same time, Campbell was active in establishing schools for "colored children" in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, the city of

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, the village of

Williamsburg, New York Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. It was an independen ...

(both part of the

borough of Brooklyn Brooklyn is a borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelve original counties established under Englis ...

since 1898), and

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

. He assisted

fugitive slaves In the United States, fugitive slaves or runaway slaves were terms used in the 18th and 19th centuries to describe people who fled slavery. The term also refers to the federal Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850. Such people are also called fre ...

whenever possible. He received a contract to raise 4,000

United States Colored Troops United States Colored Troops (USCT) were Union Army regiments during the American Civil War that primarily comprised African Americans, with soldiers from other ethnic groups also serving in USCT units. Established in response to a demand fo ...

Military Governor of Georgia Sea Islands

In March 1865, he was sent as Military Governor to the Sea Islands of Georgia: Ossabaw,

Colonels Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in char ...

, St. Catherine's, and

Sapelo Island Sapelo Island is a state-protected barrier island located in McIntosh County, Georgia. The island is accessible only by boat; the primary ferry comes from the Sapelo Island Visitors Center in McIntosh County, Georgia, a seven-mile (11 ...

. During two years he established schools and a government. When Georgia planters, through pardons from President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

, regained the islands in 1866, expelling the Black farmers, Campbell bought at Belle Ville in

McIntosh County, Georgia McIntosh County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,975, a drop of 23.4 percent since the 2010 census. The county seat is Darien. McIntosh County is included in the Brunswick, GA ...

, where he established an association of black landowners to own parcels. Effectively, he established colonies on these islands.

A Georgia politician

In 1867, to help freedmen vote, Campbell was appointed to the Board of Registration in Georgia. He and another Black registrar were poisoned; the other registrar died, according to Campbell. He joined the Georgia Educational Association, a launching pad for several Black political careers in the Reconstruction era. He was elected

state senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

in Georgia in 1868. He also campaigned for his son Tunis Gulic Campbell Jr. to be a state representative. Both won, only to be expelled from office because a majority of white Georgia legislators agreed that even though blacks had the right to vote, the Georgia constitution prohibited them from holding office. (See

Original 33 The "Original 33" were the first 33 African-American members of the Georgia General Assembly. They were elected to office in 1868, during the Reconstruction era. They were among the first African-American state legislators in the United States. T ...

.) Campbell Sr. was able to return to office in 1871, but lost a bid for re-election in 1872. During his time as state senator, Campbell served on the Senate's Petitions and General Education committees. His post-legislative work as Justice of the Peace enraged former slave owners (a Black with authority over whites). "Campbell would be indicted on multiple charges in the mid-1870s, largely trumped up by those who saw the opportunity to finally oust him from the Georgia political arena... a judicial lynching.". He served hard labor on a Georgia prison chain gang. When released, he left Georgia for good. He published in 1877 a pamphlet about his experiences: ''Sufferings of the Reverend T. G. Campbell and His Family in Georgia,''

Death

He died in

Allston Allston is an officially recognized neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was named after the American painter and poet Washington Allston. It comprises the land covered by the zip code 02134. For the most part, Allston is ...

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, on December 4, 1891.

Writings

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