Augustus M. Hodges
American journalist (1854–1916)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Augustus Michael Hodges (pen name B. Square,[1] or B. Square Bluster;[2] 1854–1916), was an American editor, writer, journalist, and political organizer.[3][4][5]
B. Square
Augustus Michael Hodges | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | March 18, 1854 Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | August 22, 1916 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | B. Square Bluster, B. Square |
| Alma mater | Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute |
| Occupations | Editor, journalist, writer, political organizer |
| Father | Willis Augustus Hodges |
Biography
Augustus Michael Hodges was born March 18, 1854, in Williamsburg, Virginia, to parents Sarah Ann (née Corprew) and Willis A. Hodges.[3][4] Although some sources state he may have been born in Brooklyn, New York.[4] He was the eldest child in his family.[3] His family was considered "Black elite", they originated in Tidewater area of Virginia and had been free since the late-18th century.[2] His paternal uncles were antislavery activists Charles Edward Hodges (1819–after 1910) and William Johnson Hodges (?–1872).[6][7]
Hodges attended Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University) and graduated in 1874.[8]
He was a writer for the newspapers The New York Globe, The Colored American, The Indianapolis Freeman, and The Brooklyn Sentinel.[3] In his newspaper column he sometimes wrote about African-American aristocracy, and it a made clear distinction from "upstart nobodies" in the news.[2] Under his pen name he wrote poems and novels.[1]
In later life he was active in politics in Brooklyn. In January 1908, he was elected as secretary of the Colored Political League.[9] In 1910, he presided over the Colored Citizens League of the Fourth and Fifth Congressional Districts convention held at Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York.[10] He had an illness for many weeks,[5] before dying on August 22, 1916.[4]
Publications
- Collier–Thomas, Bettye, ed. (1997). A Treasury of African American Christmas Stories. Pauline Hopkins, Fanny Barrier Williams, T. Thomas Fortune, Augustus M. Hodges, Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson, Langston Hughes, John Henrik. Henry Holt & Company. ISBN 9780805051223.[11][12]
