Albion W. Tourgée
Albion Winegar Tourgée (May 2, 1838 – May 21, 1905) was an American soldier, lawyer, writer, politician, and diplomat. Wounded in the Civil War, he relocated to North Carolina afterward, where he became involved in Reconstruction activities. He served in the constitutional convention and later in the state legislature. A pioneer civil rights activist, he founded the National Citizens' Rights Association, and founded Bennett College as a normal school for freedmen in North Carolina (it has been a women's college since 1926).
Albion W. Tourgée | |
|---|---|
| Born | Albion Winegar Tourgée May 2, 1838 Williamsfield, Ohio |
| Died | May 21, 1905 (aged 67) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Rochester |
| Occupation(s) | Jurist, Politician |
| Known for | Plessy v. Ferguson, National Citizens' Rights Association, founder of Bennett College |
| Political party | Republican |
An ally of African Americans since his Civil War days, later in his career Tourgée was asked to aid a committee in New Orleans that was challenging segregation on railways in Louisiana, and he was appointed the lead attorney in the landmark Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) case. The committee was dismayed when the United States Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" public facilities were constitutional; this enabled segregation for decades. Historian Mark Elliott credits Tourgée with introducing the metaphor of "color blind justice" into legal discourse.