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This illustration shows William Bolden Townsend, (1854-?), taken from I. Garland Penn's book "The Afro-American Press". Townsend born into slavery ,in 1854, near Huntsville, Alabama overcame his humble beginnings to become an accomplished journalist, and lawyer. At the age of six he migrated to Kansas, in 1860, with his mother to receive a "common school education". On the completion of his education, Townsend became a teacher and taught for a brief period in Mississippi before returning to his adopted state. By 1876, he was a correspondent for the "The Colored Citizen" at Fort Scott, Kansas and associate editor, in 1878, to "The Radical" at Leavenworth, Kansas. In addition to his career as a journalist, Townsend held a number of county and state appointed offices and was active in the Republican party before he entered law school, in 1889, at the University of Kansas. When he received his degree, in 1891, Townsend established a law practice in Leavenworth County but the radical tension in the community became so dangerous that he feared for his safety and eventually left Kansas.
Date: 1891
Item Number: 213465
Call Number: B Townsend, William *1
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 213465
Business and Industry - Occupations/Professions - Journalists
Business and Industry - Occupations/Professions - Lawyers
Collections - Photograph
Date - 1890s - 1891
Government and Politics - Political Parties - Republican
Objects and Artifacts - Communication Artifacts - Documentary Artifact - Photograph
People - African Americans
Places - Cities and towns - Leavenworth
Places - Counties - Leavenworth
Type of Material - Photographs
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/213465