Augustus M. Hodges
Augustus Michael Hodges | |
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| Born | March 18, 1854 Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | August 22, 1916 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | B. Square Bluster, B. Square |
| Alma mater | Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute |
| Occupation(s) | Editor, journalist, writer, political organizer |
| Parent |
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Augustus Michael Hodges (pen name B. Square,[1] or B. Square Bluster;[2] 1854–1916), was an American editor, writer, journalist, and political organizer.[3][4][5]
Biography[edit]
Augustus Michael Hodges was born March 18, 1854, in Williamsburg, Virginia, to parents Sarah Ann (née Corprew) and Willis A. Hodges.[3][4] Although some sources state he may have been born in Brooklyn, New York.[4] He was the eldest child in his family.[3] His family was considered "Black elite", they originated in Tidewater area of Virginia and had been free since the late-18th century.[2] His paternal uncles were antislavery activists Charles Edward Hodges (1819–after 1910) and William Johnson Hodges (?–1872).[6][7]
Hodges attended Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University) and graduated in 1874.[8]
He was a writer for the newspapers The New York Globe, The Indianapolis Freeman, and The Brooklyn Sentinel.[3] In his newspaper column he sometimes wrote about African-American aristocracy, and it a made clear distinction from "upstart nobodies" in the news.[2] Under his pen name he wrote poems and novels.[1]
In later life he was active in politics in Brooklyn. In January 1908, he was elected as secretary of the Colored Political League.[9] In 1910, he presided over the Colored Citizens League of the Fourth and Fifth Congressional Districts convention held at Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York.[10] He had an illness for many weeks,[5] before passing away on August 22, 1916.[4]
Publications[edit]
- Collier–Thomas, Bettye, ed. (1997). A Treasury of African American Christmas Stories. Pauline Hopkins, Fanny Barrier Williams, T. Thomas Fortune, Augustus M. Hodges, Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson, Langston Hughes, John Henrik. Henry Holt & Company. ISBN 9780805051223.[11][12]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Brock, Elmore (1969). "Augustus M. Hodges". The Colored American Magazine. Vol. 1–2. Colored Co-operative Publishing Company. p. 146.
- ^ a b c Gatewood, Willard B. (2000-05-01). Aristocrats of Color: The Black Elite, 1880–1920. University of Arkansas Press. p. 198. ISBN 978-1-55728-593-5.
- ^ a b c d Penn, Irvine Garland (1891). The Afro-American Press and Its Editors. Willey & Company. pp. 291–. ISBN 978-0-598-58268-3.
- ^ a b c d Gates, Henry Louis; Higginbotham, Evelyn Brooks (2008). The African American National Biography: Hacker-Jones, Sarah. Oxford University Press. p. 261. ISBN 978-0-19-516019-2.
- ^ a b "Augustus M Hodges sick". The New York Age. 1916-07-27. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ Tarter, Brent. "Charles E. Hodges (1819–after April 15, 1910)". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ Tarter, Brent. "William Johnson Hodges (d. 1872)". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ Tarter, Brent. "Augustus M. Hodges". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ Chase, W. E. H. (1908-07-23). "Here and There". The New York Age. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ "Politics and Politicians". The Standard Union. 1910-10-27. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ "A Treasury of African-American Christmas Stories, Henry Holt & Company, $20 (253pp) ISBN 978-0-8050-5122-3". Publishers Weekly. September 29, 1997. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ "Diverse voices add tone, color to Christmas tales". The Atlanta Constitution. 1998-12-21. p. 35. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
Further reading[edit]
- Penn, Irvine Garland (1891). The Afro-American Press and Its Editors. Springfield, MA: Willey & Company.