Page:The Afro-American Press.djvu/232

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THE AFRO-AMERICAN PRESS.

and his mother a slave, the property of a Frenchman.

When the Union army captured New Orleans, our subject ran away from home, reaching the Union lines safely. He was then but poorly able to speak English; so he entered a private school, taught by Mr. William Barner. After gaining some knowledge of English, he attended the Freedman's Bureau school, the public schools of Atlanta, the Congregational Theological school, and Clark University.

Entering the Straight Congregational University at New Orleans, he graduated as Bachelor of Divinity in 1881. Four years afterwards the honorary title of D. D. was conferred upon him by the alma mater, and by the Rust Methodist Episcopal University of Holly Springs, Miss. At present, Dr. Albert is president of the board of trustees of New Orleans University, chairman of the executive committee, and lecturer on theology in the same institution. He is also secretary of the Louisiana Conference Board of Church Extension and statistical secretary of the Louisiana Conference. He was for a number of years District Dept. Worthy Grand Templar for Louisiana, I. O. G. T.; was a member of the book committee of the M. E. Church; secretary for Eastern Section for four years; a member of the General Conference and secretary of committee on the state of the church, at the General Conference held in Philadelphia in 1884, and also chairman of the colored delegation to the same body.

After Dr. Taylor's declination, he was desired by the majority of the board of bishops to go as bishop to Africa. At the last meeting of the bishops, he was appointed fraternal delegate to the General Conference of the A. M. E. Zion Church.

Like many other subjects treated in this work, his life in journalism has not been as extensive as in that of the ministry. It begins with an appointment as assistant editor to Drs. Hartzell and Cushman, from 1882 to 1884. At the