Biographical Sidebar:
Albion W. Tourgée

Throughout his long career, carpetbagger Albion W. Tourgée (1838-1905) advocated equal rights for African-Americans. Born on an Ohio farm, he attended the University of Rochester before serving in the Union army. He was twice wounded, and spent four months in Confederate prisons.

After the war, Tourgée moved with his wife to North Carolina, where he became involved in Reconstruction politics. At the constitutional convention of 1868, he was instrumental in democratizing the state's local government and judicial system.

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A lawyer, Tourgée served as a Superior Court judge from 1868 to 1874. As a member of the northern branch of the Methodist Episcopal Church, he helped organize the school which became Bennett College.

As a superior court judge during Reconstruction, Tourgée courageously challenged the Ku Klux Klan. His appeals to Congress revealing the extent of violence helped speed passage of laws authorizing the use of troops against the Klan.

Learn more about Tourgée's viewpoint on the KKK