In this Book
- A Black Gambler’s World of Liquor, Vice, and Presidential Politics: William Thomas Scott of Illinois, 1839–1917
- Book
- 2014
- Published by: University of Wisconsin Press
summary
William Thomas Scott (1839–1917) was an entrepreneur and political activist from East Saint Louis and Cairo, Illinois, who in 1904 briefly became the first African American nominated by a national party for president of the United States before his scandalous past forced him to step aside. A free man before the Civil War, Scott was a charismatic hustler who built his fortune through both vice trades and legal businesses including hotels, saloons, and real estate. Publisher and editor of the Cairo Gazette and an outspoken advocate for equal rights, he believed in political patronage and frequently rebelled against political bosses who failed to deliver, whether they were white, black, Republican, or Democrat.
Scott helped build the National Negro Liberty Party to forward economic, political, and legal rights for his race. But the hustling that had brought him business success proved his undoing as a national political figure. He was the NNLP's initial presidential nominee, only to be replaced by a better-educated and more socially acceptable candidate, George Edwin Taylor.
Scott helped build the National Negro Liberty Party to forward economic, political, and legal rights for his race. But the hustling that had brought him business success proved his undoing as a national political figure. He was the NNLP's initial presidential nominee, only to be replaced by a better-educated and more socially acceptable candidate, George Edwin Taylor.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xix-xx
- List of Abbreviations
- pp. xxi-2
- Conclusion: More Complicated Than That
- pp. 119-126
- Bibliography
- pp. 163-178
Additional Information
ISBN
9780299301835
Related ISBN(s)
9780299301842
MARC Record
OCLC
892686692
Pages
209
Launched on MUSE
2014-10-09
Language
English
Open Access
No
Copyright
2014