George W. Price

George W. Price, Jr. (c. 1843 – October 22, 1901)[1] was a laborer, sailor, and politician in North Carolina. An African American, he served in the North Carolina House of Representatives and North Carolina Senate during the Reconstruction era.

Enslaved from birth in North Carolina, he worked as a plasterer to build a number of Wilmington landmarks, including the Bellamy Mansion and Thalian Hall. In 1862, along with William B. Gould and others, Price ran from slavery and joined the U. S Navy. After Emancipation, Price was elected state representative and senator from New Hanover County, North Carolina.

Prior to the Civil War, Price was enslaved[2] by George Benticott.[3] During a rainy night on September 21, 1862, Price escaped with seven other enslaved men[a] by rowing a small boat 28 nautical miles (52 km) down the Cape Fear River.[5] Just as the dawn was breaking, they rushed out into the Atlantic Ocean near Fort Caswell.[5] There, the USS Cambridge of the Union blockade picked them up as contraband.[2] Though they had no way of knowing it, within an hour and a half of their rescue President Abraham Lincoln convened a meeting of his cabinet to finalize plans to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.[5]

Price enlisted into the United States Navy on board the Cambridge, but may have later deserted.[6][2][b] He corresponded with William B. Gould throughout the war.[5] After the war, Price grew to have considerable influence within the Black and Republican communities and was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1869-1870 and the North Carolina Senate from 1870 to 1872.[2]

Price was known as an orator, and frequently spoke at ceremonies around North Carolina.[2] In 1881, he led a Black delegation to Washington D.C. where they protested the unfair distribution of federal jobs to President James A. Garfield.[2]

Early life

George W. Price Jr. was born in 1843 or 1844.[7] Enslaved in his youth, Price worked as a plasterer under his father, who, though enslaved, was a popular minister in the Wilmington area.[8]

Political career

After the civil war, Price worked as a merchant, real estate dealer, and African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church minister.[7] He also continued to work as a plasterer.[8]

Price was active in Republican Party politics and was elected to the Wilmington Board of Aldermen in 1868.[7]

Later life

Price was struck and killed by a freight train at the Wm. E. Worth & Company ice factory in Wilmington on October 22, 1901. Investigators believed that Price had been attempting to cross the railroad tracks quickly when the train surprised him. Newspapers accounts conflict on his surviving relations. A funeral was held for him at Chestnut Street Presbyterian Church[9] and he was buried at Pine Forest Cemetery.[8]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ They included William B. Gould, Joseph Hall, Andrew Hall, John Mackey, Charles Gile, John Mitchell, and William Chance.[4]
  2. ^ Gould records in his diary that "George P---e" was one of three men who deserted.[3][6]

References

  1. ^ "Price Family (fl. 1830s-1890s)". ncarchitects.lib.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Gould IV 2002, p. 29.
  3. ^ a b Gould IV 2002, p. 350.
  4. ^ Gould IV 2002, p. xix.
  5. ^ a b c d Gould IV 2002, p. xi.
  6. ^ a b Gould IV 2002, p. 113.
  7. ^ a b c Reaves 1998, p. 449.
  8. ^ a b c Bishir, Catherine W.; Tetterton, Beverly (2010). "Price Family (fl. 1830s-1890s)". North Carolina Architects & Builders : A Biographical Dictionary. NC State University Libraries. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  9. ^ Reaves 1998, p. 451.

Works cited

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