Earlier, he was a statehouse reporter for three newspapers, including the Dallas Times Herald. Also, Abbott wrote about how awful a place the South was to live in comparison to the idealistic North. disenfranchised most blacks and many poor whites, Robert Abbott Founds the Chicago Defender, DuSable Museum of African American History, Chicago Public Library – Abbott and Sengstacke Family Papers, Mark Perry, "Robert S. Abbott and the Chicago Defender: A Door to the Masses", "Celebrated African-American parade of pride boasts Baha'i connections", Richard W. Thomas, Ph.D. "A Long and Thorny Path: Race Relations in the American Baháʼí Community" (Chapter), "Robert S. Abbott, 69, A Chicago Publisher. They were utterly closed out of the political systems. Gov. From 1890 to 1908 all the southern states had passed constitutions or laws that raised barriers to voter registration and effectively disenfranchised most blacks and many poor whites. With his wealth, Abbott aided the Stevens descendants in Georgia during the Depression, and paid for the education of their children. Lewis, Femi. He wrote, "Miscegenation began as soon as the African slaves were introduced into the colonial population and continue unabated to this day.... What's more, the opposition to intermarriage has heightened the interest and solidified the feelings of those who resent the injunction of racial distinction in their private and personal affairs.". He graduated in 1896 and two years later, he graduated from Kent College of Law in Chicago. ", DeSantis, Alan D. "Selling the American dream myth to black southerners: The Chicago defender and the great migration of 1915–1919. He listed nine goals as the Defender′s 'Bible:'. [5] He earned a law degree from Kent College of Law, Chicago, in 1898. "Robert Sengstacke Abbott: Publisher of "The Chicago Defender"." [7] Abbott died of Bright's disease in 1940 in Chicago. It became an occasion for African Americans to celebrate their pride and connections[17], Abbott was seeking an atmosphere free of race prejudice. ", This page was last edited on 5 February 2021, at 14:40. The slogan of the paper and the first goal was "American race prejudice must be destroyed. Black Business Owners in the Jim Crow Era, The Power of the Press: Black American News Publications in the Jim Crow Era, The African American Press Timeline: 1827 to 1895, The Early History of the NAACP: A Timeline, Biography of Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Journalist Who Fought Racism, Black American History and Women Timeline: 1800–1859, Biography of William Still, Father of the Underground Railroad, 27 Black American Women Writers You Should Know, Black History and Women's Timeline: 1920-1929. Abbott attended Hampton Institute in 1892 where he studied printing as a trade. Along with some financial help from an African American Entrepreneur and Abbott himself, Bessie was able to go to flight school. Their mixed-race son John was born the next year and a daughter in 1848. Writers such as Walter White and Langston Hughes served as columnists; Gwendolyn Brooks published one of her earliest poems in the pages of the publication. He began his career as a … American race prejudice must be destroyed; Opening up all trade unions to blacks as well as whites; Representation in the President's Cabinet'. His widowed mother Flora Abbott (née Butler) met and married John Sengstacke, an American mixed-race man of unusual background who had recently come to the US from Germany. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/robert-sengstacke-abbott-biography-45296. His father, John Sengstacke, ran the paper for nearly 60 years. An early biography of him was published in 1955 by Roi Ottley, Abbott is featured on the documentary series. Dist. "Robert Sengstacke Abbott: Publisher of "The Chicago Defender"." Abbott's newspaper reported and campaigned against Jim Crow era violence and urged black people in the American South to come north in what became the Great Migration. They were eager to know about conditions, to find housing, and to learn more about their new lives in cities. [7] After inventing the fictional character "Bud Billiken" with David Kellum for articles in the Defender, Abbott established the Bud Billiken Club. “The Last Days of Knight,” directed by former CNN world sports journalist Robert Abbott, detailed iconic Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight’s rise to power and championship success, as well as investigations of player … ... many a reporter sought her out for personal interviews. During the final phase of the documentary’s production, Ninchritz spent about three months holed up in his studio at the Estero Executive Center with award-winning reporter/producer Robert Abbott, whose investigative journalism uncovered Knight’s verbal and physical abuse of players, ultimately leading to the Hall of Fame coach’s demise. His parents, Thomas and Flora Abbott were both formerly enslaved people. Miles White, 64, will leave Abbott (NYSE: ABT) on March 31, 2020, and will be replaced by Robert Ford, 46, the company's current chief operating officer and president. Within two years, the circulation had reached 125,000 and by the early 1920s, it was well over 200,000. The Chicago Defender not only encouraged people to migrate north for a better life, but to fight for their rights once they got there. As a result of Abbott’s depictions of the North, The Chicago Defender became known as “the greatest stimulus that the migration had.”. They married in Charleston, South Carolina, before returning to Georgia, where their interracial marriage was prohibited. John met the young black widow Flora, who had a year-old son Robert. Hearst. Elliot J. Butler was born December 14, 2020 to Crystal L. Rake and Jordan S. Butler of Honesdale, PA. In 1919, Illinois Governor Frank Lowden appointed Abbott to the Chicago Commission on Race Relations. ", Buck, Christopher. He returned home to Georgia for a period, then went back to Chicago, where he could see changes arriving with thousands of new migrants from the rural South. Due to racial discrimination, he was unable to practice law. Schools and other public facilities reserved for blacks were typically underfunded and ill-maintained. Robert Abbott is a six-time Emmy Award winning producer and director with 30+ years experience in the sports and entertainment industry. John R. Rolater, Jr., Asst. Gathered at Abbott ranch are adult family members, from left, Whitney Abbott and husband Murray McTigue, Tessa Van der Werff, and husband Robert Abbott, and Meredith and Duncan Abbott; and children, from left, Gwen and Agatha McTigue, Edie and Bea Abbott. He cared for Robert as if he were his own. His childhood home in the Woodville neighborhood now in. Atty., Dallas, Matthew Paul, State's Atty., Austin, for State. Following law school, Abbott made several attempts to establish himself as an attorney in Chicago. They often sold or distributed the paper on trains. Lewis, Femi. "[14] Sengstacke openly discussed African-American history in his articles, including its difficult issues. Through its coverage of the Red Summer of 1919, the publication used these race riots to campaign for anti-lynching legislation. Its success resulted in Abbott becoming one of the first self-made millionaires of African-American descent; his business expanded as African Americans moved to the cities and became an urbanized, northern population. The second clipping was the 2011 obituary of Carey native Robert Abbott Coates. From the early 20th century through 1940, 1.5 million blacks moved to major cities in the North and Midwest. He has covered the environment for about half that time. Abbott founded The Chicago Defender in 1905, … His parents, Thomas and Flora Abbott were both formerly enslaved people. Robert Sengstacke Abbott (November 24, 1870 – February 29, 1940) was an American lawyer, newspaper publisher and editor. Browse The Reporter obituaries, conduct other obituary searches, offer condolences/tributes, send flowers or create an online memorial. Robert Sengstacke Abbott. Legislatures imposed Jim Crow conditions, producing facilities for blacks that were "separate" but never "equal" (referring to the Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) case, in which the US Supreme Court ruled that segregated facilities, such as railroad cars providing "separate but equal" conditions, were constitutional). God gave us a Holy Bible, disputing men made different kinds of disciples. Tama died soon after their daughter was born, and Herman took the children back to Germany to be raised by family.[6]. Full enfranchisement of all American citizens. "[7] Sengstacke became a teacher, determined to improve the education of black children. His will left the newspaper in the control of his nephew, John Henry Sengstacke. Full enfranchisement of all American citizens. By 1924 Abbott and his wife were listed as attending Baháʼí events in Chicago. Giving voice to the voiceless, the Chicago Defender condemned Jim Crow, catalyzed the Great Migration, and focused the electoral power of black America. Donation of Robert A. Sengstacke, May 30, 2007. The northern and midwestern industrial centers, where blacks could vote and send children to school, were recruiting workers based on the expansion of manufacturing and infrastructure to supply the US's expanding population as well as the war in Europe, which started in 1914. In the Georgia port city in 1847, Herman saw a slave sale. After settling in Chicago, in 1905 Abbott founded The Chicago Defender newspaper with an initial investment of ¢25 (equivalent to $7 in 2019). Defender circulation reached 50,000 by 1916; 125,000 by 1918; and more than 200,000 by the early 1920s. Robert Ford took over as Abbott CEO in March 2020, just as the pandemic hit the U.S. While attending Hampton, Abbott toured with the Hampton Quartet, a group similar to the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Hiring black engineers, firemen, and conductors on all American railroads, and to all jobs in government; Gaining representation in all departments of the police forces over the entire United States; Government schools giving preference to American citizens before foreigners; Hiring black motormen and conductors on the surface, elevated, and motor bus lines throughout America; Federal legislation to abolish lynching; and. This documentary moves like an action film following along with Abbott's dogged determination to uncover the truth in the tight-lipped Hoosier atmosphere. Chicago Defender, the most influential African American newspaper during the early and mid-20th century. After moving to various locales in search of opportunities, in 1905 Abbott started the Chicago Defender which would grow into national force whose voice was heard far beyond Chicago. Robert was given the middle name Sengstacke to mark his belonging in the family. A key part of his distribution network was made up of African-American railroad porters, who were highly respected among blacks, and by 1925 they organized a union as the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.