T. Thomas Fortune: Civil Rights leader was born in Jackson County, Florida

T. Thomas Fortune
Marianna-born journalist and civil rights leader

He rose from slavery to editorial power.

by Dale Cox

Drivers zip past simple brown signs each day as they travel on U.S. 90 into Jackson County, Florida. The signs state simply that the county was the birthplace of T. Thomas Fortune.

He was a significant figure of the late 19th century, but many today do not know his story. Here are the basics:

Timothy Thomas Fortune was born into slavery at Marianna on October 3, 1856, but was destined to demonstrate just how far Americans could rise with education, hard work, inspiration, and determination. He has been called "Tuskegee's Point-Man" for his support of Booker T. Washington and the innovative programs at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University).

Based on Fortune's own memories, much about his childhood has been misrepresented by modern writers. His father, Emanuel Fortune, was enslaved by Joseph W. Russ, a prominent Jackson County resident. Russ not only encouraged Emanuel's education but entrusted him with the management of his large leather tannery. (Note: Russ was the father of the Joseph W. Russ, Jr. who later built Marianna's beautiful Russ House).



Emanuel Fortune
Father of T. Thomas Fortune

When Emanuel married Sarah Jane Hires, Joseph Russ arranged for the two to live together at the home of Eli P. Moore, a leading Marianna merchant, and partner in the firm of Alderman, Moore & Company. It was there that T. Thomas was born in 1856.

According to the later writings of T. Thomas Fortune, he and his parents were treated well by Russ and Moore, although they were kept in a condition of slavery. He grew up playing with Moore's four children and later remembered that he was never treated as anything other than a member of the family during the eight years that he lived in slavery.

When the War Between the States (or Civil War) came to an end, Emanuel Fortune enrolled his son in the new public school established in Marianna by the Freedman's Bureau. He excelled in his studies and quickly gained the attention of the publisher of the Marianna Courier newspaper, Frank Baltzell.

Marianna, as it appeared when T. Thomas Fortune lived there.
State Archives of Florida/Memory Collection

Just a few years older than T. Thomas, Frank likely had known the young man all of his life. Baltzell gave Fortune a job at the newspaper, starting him on a career that would lead him to heights never before attained by an African American in the United States.

T. Thomas Fortune went on to work at newspapers in Jacksonville, Washington, D.C., and New York over the years that followed. He enrolled at Howard University but was forced to withdraw after a few semesters due to financial restraints.



T. Thomas Fortune

He published his first book, Black and White, Labor, and Politics in the South, in 1883, establishing himself as an influential spokesman for the civil rights movement. It was T. Thomas Fortune who coined the term "Afro-American" (which eventually became today's African American), and he was a leading figure in the Afro-American League.

T. Thomas Fortune cultivated the friendship of Booker T. Washington during the 1890s and became a leading advocate of Washington's visionary Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Alabama. He helped with the preparation for publication of Washington's landmark book The Future of the American Negro.

Home of T. Thomas Fortune in New Jersey
Courtesy Library of Congress

By the early 1900s, Fortune was the chairman of the National Negro Business League. He also continued his career in journalism, becoming editor of the New York Age and The Negro World. The latter paper achieved a paid circulation of more than 200,000 under Fortune's leadership and was distributed in the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and Central America.

T. Thomas Fortune died on June 2, 1928, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Signs designating Jackson County as his birthplace stand on U.S. 90 near Sneads and Cottondale, but the county, unfortunately, has no historical marker or monument to tell his story. His home in Red Bank, New Jersey, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and remains a landmark to this day.

Read other stories on the history of Jackson County, Florida, by visiting https://twoegg.blogspot.com.

Editor supports targeting of my deceased dad over Dozier story

On Saturday (9/7/2013) I posted a statement here that a reporter from the Tampa Bay Times was investigating my deceased father because of my personal stand on the Dozier School Cemetery issue.

Please follow this link to read my original statement: Tampa reporter targets my deceased father over Dozier story.

My father was never an employee of Dozier School, had no association of any kind with the Dozier School Cemetery and no involvement with the "White House" abuse allegations involving Dozier School.  The reporter, Ben Montgomery, indicates he is investigating my father because he is "trying to figure out why you're so vociferous."

In other words, Mr. Montgomery admits he is investigating my late father because I dared to exercise my rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

I have filed a protest of his conduct with both the President/CEO and Managing Editor of his newspaper. I have received the following response from Mike Nelson, Managing Editor of the Tampa Bay Times:

From: "mike@tampabay.com"
To: Dale Cox
Sent: Monday, September 9, 2013 11:28 AM
Subject: Re: Improper conduct by Times reporter

Dear Mr. Cox,

As I told you before, Ben Montgomery has the Tampa Bay Times' full support in his efforts to find the truth of what happened at Dozier.

Sincerely,

Mike Wilson
Managing Editor
mike@tampabay.com
(phone) 727-892-2924 | (fax) 727-893-8675
Tampa Bay Times (formerly St. Petersburg Times)
Florida’s largest newspaper now has a name that matches the region it serves.
twitter: @mwilsontimes | Facebook: tampabay.com 

--

Mr. Wilson's statement indicates to me that if you use your First Amendment rights to speak out against any issue on which his newspaper has taken a position, he will consider it acceptable for his newspaper's reporter to target and investigate your deceased parents.

In my view, this conduct on the part of the Tampa Bay Times is unethical, immoral and improper. If you would like to voice your opinion to Mr. Wilson, his email is mike@tampabaytimes.com.

The Wreck of the Steamboat Eagle - Neal's Landing, Florida

Coming in this week's issue of the Jackson County Times, I have an article that I think you will find interesting.

It tells the story of the shocking wreck of the great steamboat Eagle near Neal's Landing in the northeast corner of Jackson County.

The Eagle was a 200 ton steamboat that was one of the largest and most elegant paddlewheel boats to navigate the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers during the years before the Civil War.

On January 29, 1854, she caught fire as she was approaching Neal's Landing and completely disappeared in less than 15 minutes. The fatal fire was one of the most shocking tragedies in the early history of Jackson County and also gave rise to a remarkable story of heroism.

Be sure to pick up a copy of this week's paper to read the story. If you haven't subscribed to the Jackson County Times, please consider doing so. They publish more news about the history of Jackson County than any other publication in the area. You can subscribe online by clicking here. Just look for the "Subscribe" button.

I will post the full article later in the week after this week's issue is out.