George W. Price

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This article is about the North Carolinian politician. For other uses, see George Price (disambiguation).

George W. Price, Jr. (ca. 1843-October 22, 1901)[1] was an enslaved plasterer, who, with his father , worked on 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 community 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]

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.

Works cited[]

  • Gould IV, William B. (2002). Diary of a Contraband: The Civil War Passage of a Black Sailor (paperback ed.). Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-4708-3.


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