George B. Jackson
Encyclopedia
George B. Jackson was a business
man, sheep rancher, and Republican
politician
from San Angelo
who was believed to have been the wealthiest African American
in Texas
during the second half of the 19th century.
Jackson was born into slavery
in Brunswick County
, Virginia. In 1869, Jackson was among the first buffalo soldier
s at Fort Concho
, located on the Concho River
in San Angelo, the seat of Tom Green County in West Texas
. At the time San Angelo had a questionable reputation as a "resort for desperate characters," with sixteen saloons selling the average man 19.4 gallons of whisky
per year.
By 1875, Jackson had been discharged from the Army at Fort Duncan
in Eagle Pass
, Texas. He began operating a saloon in San Angelo. In 1879, Josephine Thompson stabbed Albert Ford, a buffalo soldier, to death in Jackson's saloon. Twice a year he paid $25 to police for operating a house of ill repute. Prostitutes were charged $2.50 twice per year for vagrancy. Otherwise, the business continued to operate without police interference.
, where she preferred to live while he was running his business in San Angelo. Jackson, however, prospered in San Angelo but spent time in San Antonio as well. By 1884, he was named a petit juror in San Angelo at a time when most blacks in the former Confederacy
were forbidden to serve on juries. In 1885, he became a trustee of the black public school. He also purchased ranch land at a bargain some thirty-five miles west of San Angelo and then leased his holdings.
Active politically, Jackson in 1894 addressed the Republican State Convention in Austin
. He assailed the Wilson-Gorman Tariff of the Cleveland
administration and urged high tariff
s to protect West Texas sheep and goat ranchers. He also started a Republican organization in San Angelo along with six whites and one Hispanic. The Republican candidate, George H. Noonan
of San Antonio, was elected as U.S. representative from the district that also included Tom Green County. A native of Newark
, New Jersey
, Noonan was the first Texas Republican elected to Congress after the end of Reconstruction. He served only one term, having been unseated in the 1896 general election
. The San Angelo Standard newspaper declared the politically connected Jackson "the wealthiest colored man in Texas."
In 1897, Jackson traveled to Washington, D.C.
, to attend the inauguration of U.S. President William McKinley
, who thereafter appointed Jackson as customs inspector in Presidio
, Texas, a small community on the Mexican
border west of what is now Big Bend National Park
. Jackson set aside racial differences in his dealings and was known for his friendship with whites and Democrats
.
Cemetery in San Antonio. His business partner, Joe Selby, subsequently died in San Angelo.
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
man, sheep rancher, and Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from San Angelo
San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo is a city in the state of Texas. Located in West Central Texas it is the county seat of Tom Green County. As of 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total population of 93,200...
who was believed to have been the wealthiest African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
during the second half of the 19th century.
Background
The mulattoMulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
Jackson was born into slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
in Brunswick County
Brunswick County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,419 people, 6,277 households, and 4,312 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile . There were 7,541 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
, Virginia. In 1869, Jackson was among the first buffalo soldier
Buffalo Soldier
Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas....
s at Fort Concho
Fort Concho
Fort Concho is a National Historic Landmark owned and operated since 1935 by the city of San Angelo, the seat of Tom Green County in West Texas...
, located on the Concho River
Concho River
The Concho River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. It has three primary feeds: the North, Middle, and South Concho rivers. The North Concho River is the longest fork, starting in Howard County and traveling southeast for until merging with the South and Middle forks near Goodfellow Air...
in San Angelo, the seat of Tom Green County in West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
. At the time San Angelo had a questionable reputation as a "resort for desperate characters," with sixteen saloons selling the average man 19.4 gallons of whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
per year.
By 1875, Jackson had been discharged from the Army at Fort Duncan
Fort Duncan
Fort Duncan was a U.S. Army post, set up to protect the first U.S. settlement on the Rio Grande near the current town of Eagle Pass, Texas.Fort Duncan was established on March 27, 1849, when Captain Sidney Burbank occupied the site with companies A, B, and F of the First United States Infantry...
in Eagle Pass
Eagle Pass, Texas
Eagle Pass is a city in and the county seat of Maverick County The population was 27,183 as of the 2010 census.Eagle Pass borders the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, which is to the southwest and across the Rio Grande. The Eagle Pass-Piedras Negras Metropolitan Area is one of six...
, Texas. He began operating a saloon in San Angelo. In 1879, Josephine Thompson stabbed Albert Ford, a buffalo soldier, to death in Jackson's saloon. Twice a year he paid $25 to police for operating a house of ill repute. Prostitutes were charged $2.50 twice per year for vagrancy. Otherwise, the business continued to operate without police interference.
Political career
Jackson married Mary Jackson, a black woman from San AntonioSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, where she preferred to live while he was running his business in San Angelo. Jackson, however, prospered in San Angelo but spent time in San Antonio as well. By 1884, he was named a petit juror in San Angelo at a time when most blacks in the former Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
were forbidden to serve on juries. In 1885, he became a trustee of the black public school. He also purchased ranch land at a bargain some thirty-five miles west of San Angelo and then leased his holdings.
Active politically, Jackson in 1894 addressed the Republican State Convention in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. He assailed the Wilson-Gorman Tariff of the Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
administration and urged high tariff
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
s to protect West Texas sheep and goat ranchers. He also started a Republican organization in San Angelo along with six whites and one Hispanic. The Republican candidate, George H. Noonan
George H. Noonan
George Henry Noonan was a U.S. Representative from Texas. He was the first Republican congressman from Texas not elected during Reconstruction....
of San Antonio, was elected as U.S. representative from the district that also included Tom Green County. A native of Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Noonan was the first Texas Republican elected to Congress after the end of Reconstruction. He served only one term, having been unseated in the 1896 general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
. The San Angelo Standard newspaper declared the politically connected Jackson "the wealthiest colored man in Texas."
In 1897, Jackson traveled to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, to attend the inauguration of U.S. President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
, who thereafter appointed Jackson as customs inspector in Presidio
Presidio, Texas
Presidio is a city in Presidio County, Texas, United States. It stands on the Rio Grande , on the opposite side of the U.S.-Mexico border from Ojinaga, Chihuahua. The population was 4,167 at the 2000 census....
, Texas, a small community on the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
border west of what is now Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park is a national park located in the U.S. state of Texas. Big Bend has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, which includes more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56...
. Jackson set aside racial differences in his dealings and was known for his friendship with whites and Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
Death
Jackson died in the home of a friend of congenital heart disease at the age of fifty. At the time of his passing, he was headed from San Angelo to San Antonio to see Mary. The couple had no children. Jackson was a member of the A.M.E. Church. He is interred at the black MasonicMasonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
Cemetery in San Antonio. His business partner, Joe Selby, subsequently died in San Angelo.