Gus C. Henderson facts for kids

Gus C. Henderson (born November 16, 1862 – died 1915) was an important African American community leader. He lived in Central Florida in the United States. He is famous for helping Winter Park, Florida become a city. He supported the plans of a man named Loring Chase.

Early Life of Gus Henderson

Gus Henderson was born in 1862 near Lake City, Florida in Columbia County, Florida. When he was only ten years old, his mother passed away. This meant he had to earn money for himself. Even with these challenges, Gus loved to read and taught himself many things.

He stayed in his hometown for twenty years. Then, he got a job as a salesman for a company in New York. He was very good at his job. People even called him the first "commercial tourist" in Florida. But after five months, he was asked to leave. The company found out he was African-American.

After this, 24-year-old Gus Henderson moved to Winter Park, Florida. Here, he would play a big part in helping the young community grow.

Gus Henderson's Work in Winter Park

Gus Henderson was a strong supporter of the Republican Party. He believed this party had done a lot of good for African Americans. He once said that "all we ever received came from Republicans." He felt they gave citizenship, freedom, and free schools. Because of this, he promised to always be a Republican.

Henderson strongly supported Chicago banker Loring Chase and his partner, Oliver Chapman. They had a plan to make Winter Park an official city. Gus Henderson worked hard to encourage black townspeople to vote for this plan. This was very important because there were 64 black residents registered to vote. This was more than the 47 white voters.

Henderson even led voters from Hannibal Square to the meeting. Thanks to his efforts, enough people voted to pass the plan. This made Winter Park a city on October 12, 1887. It also made Hannibal Square part of the city. Many people say that Winter Park would not have become a city without Gus Henderson's help.

Starting a Newspaper

Gus Henderson also started a newspaper for the city. It was called the Winter Park Advocate. The first issue came out on May 31, 1889. At that time, it was one of only two black newspapers in Florida.

Henderson first managed the newspaper. Later, he became the collector, reporter, and editor. The newspaper wrote about things important to local people. It covered social events and local community politics. Both white and black communities read the newspaper.

Some articles Henderson wrote included "Christmas in Hannibal Square" and "A Gala in Hannibal Square." He also wrote about "Colored Free Masons" and "High school for Colored Youth."

After two years, Henderson left the Winter Park Advocate. He moved from Winter Park to Orlando, Florida. In 1906, he started another newspaper called The Florida Recorder (Colored) Republican. Gus Henderson passed away in 1915.