American newspaper editor (1852–1918)
Magnus Lewis Robinson |
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Born | November 21, 1852
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Died | August 17, 1918(1918-08-17) (aged 65)
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Burial place | Bethel Cemetery, Alexandria, Virginia, United States |
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Other names | M.L. Robinson |
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Education | Howard University School of Law |
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Occupation(s) | Newspaper editor, journalist, politician, Black community leader |
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Father | Robert H. Robinson |
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Relatives | Caroline Branham (great grandmother) |
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Magnus Lewis Robinson (1852–1918) was an American newspaper editor, politician, and Black community leader. He was the managing editor, and co-owner of The Washington National Leader newspaper, which he founded with his brother.[1][2] Robinson was active within the Republican Party in Virginia and Washington, D.C.; as well as Masonic organizations.
Early life and education
Magnus Lewis Robinson was born on November 21, 1852, in Alexandria, Virginia.[3] His father was Robert H. Robinson, a noted minister and Black rights activist; and his mother was Mary Ann Warwick. His paternal grandmother was Caroline Branham, a slave at Mount Vernon the plantation estate of President George Washington.[4][5] He was educated privately.[3] He apprenticed as a baker for four years.[3]
Robinson attended law school in Washington, D.C. at the Howard University School of Law in 1868, but he did not graduate due to his poor health.[3]
Career
After leaving college, he worked as a teacher for a year.[3][6] In his early career, Robinson contributed to newspapers, including The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore American, and The Lynchburg Daily News.[6] He was the first African American reporter for the Baltimore Daily Bee.[6] This was followed by founding the newspaper The Virginia Post in Harrisonburg, with his brother Robert (also known as R.B.).[6][7]
In 1880, Robinson became the secretary of the Republican Committee of Rockingham County, Virginia, and he was the first African American in the role.[6] He was also elected the secretary of the Charlottesville Congressional Convention in 1880.[6] In 1881, he represented Rockingham County at the Colored State Convention in Petersburg, Virginia.[3]
In 1888, Robinson and his brother R.B. started a new publication for African Americans in Washington, D.C. called The Washington National Leader (or The National Leader), to advocate Republican Party issues and candidates.[6] In 1890, the paper was renamed The Weekly Leader, and it was moved from Washington, D.C. to Alexandria.[6]
In 1889, Robinson was a defeated Republican candidate for alderman in Alexandria.[3] He was the president of the Fredrick Douglass Library Association;[3] and a leading member of the Colored National Press Convention.[3] Robinson was a Past Master and Past Grand Junior Deacon of the Grand Lodge No. 2 in Virginia.[8]
Death and legacy
He died on August 17, 1918, in Washington, D.C., and he is buried at Bethel Cemetery in Alexandria.[6]
A profile of Robinson is included in the book, The Afro-American Press and Its Editors (1891). A 1902 letter from Robinson to President Theodore Roosevelt is in the archives at the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University.[9]
References