EDITOR’S NOTE: KWAM is commemorating Black History Month by celebrating successful black businessmen, soldiers, educators and pastors. Students in our local schools are not told about these great Memphians because it conflicts with their narrative that black people are oppressed.
There’s a good chance you’ve parked in Lee’s Landing in downtown near FedEx Forum or you’ve probably mailed a letter from the Lee Post Office on Mississippi Boulevard.
Both named after George Washington Lee a prominent black soldier and Republican leader from Memphis.George Washington Lee moved to Memphis in 1912 and got a job as a bellhop at the Gayoso Hotel. He went on to join the Army in World War One. And later became a successful insurance executive.
Mr. Lee was active in the Republican Party and served in 1928 as national director of Veterans for Hoofer. He also delivered an RNC speech at the national convention in Chicago. The year was 1952.
And he is widely credited with delivering Tennessee to President Eisenhower during a time when few Republicans were able to win elections in Memphis.As Elks Grand Commissioner of Education, he emphasized black pride through education and the expansion of African American businesses.
The New York Times eulogized Mr. Lee as a leader of Memphis Republican Blacks. Lee’s portrait is displayed in the rotunda of the Tennessee State Capitol.
KWAM salutes George Washington Lee – an American hero.