1929 Chicago Defender article

Thanks to Steven Niven for sending me the text of this November 2, 1929 Chicago Defender article about George Washington Albright.

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Mississippi Senator, Ex-Slave, Founder of Hollywood High School

By W. R. Rand

Out in Pueblo, Colo., lives a man whose accomplishments and achievements merit the attention of America. Born a slave, George Washington Albright has had more than his share of honor and success. He is 83 years old.

He was born on the 15th day of August, 1846, on the plantation of Ike Marr, near Holly Springs, Miss., and lived there until sold as a chattle some five years later. All of us family were sold along with him, to a Captain John Albright, who lived a few miles to the north of the Marr plantation.

The slaves of Capt. Albright took his family name. Young Albright lived on the Albright plantation up until his 12th year, when his father, whom he dearly loved, was sold away from the remainder of the family.

In those days there was a cruel law on the statute books of the State of Mississippi, to keep the Black man in darkness. The law read that, “Any slave holder in the confines of this state who shall permit or encourage any of his slaves to read and write shall be fined not more than $500. And any slave found guilty of this offense, shall be given 500 lashes with a rawhide whip and shall suffer his right thumb to be cut off above the second joint.”

Even with the knowledge of that law, young Albright had the desire to learn. His mother was a cook at the big house and was able to secure an alphabet book which one of the white children had cast aside from which George learned to read and write.

The years passed and Sherman’s army marched and slaves were freed. By this time young George was 18 years of age and had gleaned the equivalent of a grade school education through the constant study of any and all books he was able to obtain.

Immediately after Emancipation proclamation George Albright organized and taught the first school of the Race in Marshall county.

Senator Albright cast his first vote in 1867, the year after the 15th amendment was finally ratified. In the Republican county convention of Marshall county, held at Holly Springs in August, 1873, the name of George W. Albright was presented to the convention for the Republican nomination and was accepted with unanimous acclaim.

In the election in November of that year Albright was elected over his white Democratic opponent by the large plurality of 1,600. Senator Albright was the first of the Race to represent his district in the state senate. He put through the first temperance legislation on the statute books of the state of Mississippi.

Senator Albright was recognized as one of the most brilliant men in the senate. In recognition of his ability he was appointed by Governor Adelbert Ames as president of the trustee board of the Holly Springs State normal school.

The Ku Klux Klan became such a power in Mississippi at the close of Senator Albright’s term that in fear for the lives of his family and himself he moved to Emporia, Kan. He took up a homestead and began meeting with financial success in the cattle and hog business. Years later he sold out at a good margin of profit and moved to California, in 1892.

In California his ability as a leader was soon recognized and he was elected to the presidency of the Cahugen school board, a rural school district near Los Angeles.

In 1900 there were nine graduates of the Cahugen school who wished to enter high school, the closest being in Los Angeles and a prohibitive rate of tuition was charged by the Los Angeles school board.

Senator Albright, showing his far-sightedness, called a meeting of the seven rural school boards that like the Cahugen board had no high school for their graduates. At the meeting he proposed that seven boards band themselves together and issue bonds to build a high school in the village of Hollywood.

The proposal met with the approval of the seven boards and the bonds were issued and the Hollywood high school came into being. The present day Hollywood high school is quartered on the same site purchased because of Mr. Albright’s far-sightedness.