The Original Black Elite: Daniel Murray and the Story of a Forgotten Era

Summary (from the publisher): In this outstanding cultural biography, the author of the New York Times bestseller A Slave in the White House chronicles a critical yet overlooked chapter in American history: the inspiring rise and calculated fall of the black elite, from Emancipation through Reconstruction to the Jim Crow Era—embodied in the experiences of an influential figure of the time, academic, entrepreneur, and political activist and black history pioneer Daniel Murray.

In the wake of the Civil War, Daniel Murray, born free and educated in Baltimore, was in the vanguard of Washington, D.C.’s black upper class. Appointed Assistant Librarian at the Library of Congress—at a time when government appointments were the most prestigious positions available for blacks—Murray became wealthy through his business as a construction contractor and married a college-educated socialite. The Murrays’ social circles included some of the first African-American U.S. Senators and Congressmen, and their children went to the best colleges—Harvard and Cornell.

Though Murray and other black elite of his time were primed to assimilate into the cultural fabric as Americans first and people of color second, their prospects were crushed by Jim Crow segregation and the capitulation to white supremacist groups by the government, which turned a blind eye to their unlawful—often murderous—acts. Elizabeth Dowling Taylor traces the rise, fall, and disillusionment of upper-class African Americans, revealing that they were a representation not of hypothetical achievement but what could be realized by African Americans through education and equal opportunities.

As she makes clear, these well-educated and wealthy elite were living proof that African Americans did not lack ability to fully participate in the social contract as white supremacists claimed, making their subsequent fall when Reconstruction was prematurely abandoned all the more tragic. Illuminating and powerful, her magnificent work brings to life a dark chapter of American history that too many Americans have yet to recognize.

 

Review: This work of non-fiction covers the life of academic, political activist, and black history pioneer Daniel Murray, whose life embodies the rise and fall of the black elite from the time of Emancipation through the Jim Crow era. Daniel was born free in Baltimore and quickly rose to prominence as part of Washington D.C.'s upper class. He was appointed Assistant Librarian at the Library of Congress and he and his college educated wife was tremendously socially and politically active. Yet the Murrays' glittering social and cultural prospects were dimmed and ultimately squashed by encroaching Jim Crow segregation that left the Murrays and the rest of their social circle bereft of opportunities that were earlier available to them. In short, the Murrays' story is one of the downfall of the black elite and descent into racial segregation.  

 

It was amazing to read about the accomplishments of Daniel Murray during his lifetime from 1851 to 1925. After being raised in Baltimore, he moved to Washington D.C. and began working for his brother who was a prominent caterer and whose client list "was topped by President Lincoln himself" (15). Eventually, he was hired as one of 12 staff members for the Library of Congress, where he would remain until his retirement. Eventually, Daniel married and he and his wife Anna belonged to the "colored aristocracy" of Washington: "well educated, refined, accomplished, and prosperous, these men and women followed politics and current events, engaged in the city's civic life, race-related issues in particular, and enjoyed socializing" (62).

 

Beyond their social status and Daniel's occupation, the couple worked hard to increase the opportunities and recognition of their race. In addition to maintaining their spacious home and vacation home and raising their five sons who would live to adulthood, Anna Murray found the time "to start several model private kindergartens for black children, develop a series of Mothers' Meetings, found and manage a training school for kindergarten teachers, and introduce day nurseries for strapped working mothers" (133). Although he never managed to publish it, Daniel Murray devoted years to a bibliography that he termed an "Encyclopedia of the Colored Race" that topped at 7,500 titles and "presents to the world for the first time the only authoritative and complete history of the achievement of colored people and their contributions to culture and civilization" (388). Among its impressive achievements, Daniel's bibliography is likely responsible for preserving ex-slave Paul Jennings's memoir from obscurity.

 

Unlike most histories that seem to paint American history as a slow, uphill fight for equality, this work of history sheds light on backsliding in racial equality and the gradual encroachment of racial segregation that occurred during the Murrays' lifetime. For instance, Daniel Murray had his position of Assistant Librarian, well earned after years of service and keen ability, stripped from him only to be given a lesser title and salary solely due to his race. although this seemed to pose no issue when he was first hired and promoted. Late in his career, the Library of Congress excluded blacks from the public cafeteria and a separate "colored men's locker room" was installed (336). As one of the longest standing employees, who saw the library grow from 12 to over 500 staff members, this must have felt like such a betrayal of his years of service and abilities. This social stratum of wealthy, well educated, and politically active blacks were increasingly treated less like Americans capable of realizing the American dream and more like second class residents due to their race. The tragedy for Daniel and Anna Murray and their social circle was that by the end of their life, their opportunities and those for their children and grandchildren were much more restricted than when they themselves had been born.

 

Although this is a biography, this work also functions as a cultural history and spends significant time detailing the political and social history of the time, which was informative but did add greatly to the length of this book and dragged at times. Additionally, I had a hard time following the careers and lives of the Murray's many sons, as they all seemed to blend together. However, this is a significant book that illustrates the opportunities once available to the black elite of the northern United States in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War.

 

Stars: 4