ROBERT CHURCH – BLACK MEMPHIS REPUBLICAN

AS ROBERT CHURCH, JR. WOULD SAY, "IT'S TIME FOR REPUBLICANS TO COME BACK HOME TO PRINCIPLED LIVING AND VALUES VOTING!"

Born: 1885 - 1952

Robert R. Church, Jr., a political leader in Memphis and the nation, was born on October 26, 1885, at his family home.  The family lived at 384 South Lauderdale Street, in Memphis. He was one of  two children of Robert R. and Anna (Wright) Church. Education was important to the family. Mr. Church's sister was Annette E. Church. He was educated at Mrs. Julia Hooks’ kindergarten, by private tutors, and at parochial schools in Memphis. Further education was obtained at Morgan Park Military Academy, Morgan Park, Illinois, and Berlin and the Packard School of Business, New York.

He completed his education by spending two years learning banking on Wall Street.

Robert Church, Jr., returned to Memphis, where he became the manager of Church's Park and Auditorium. He later became cashier of the Solvent Savings Bank and Trust Company, founded by his father. Mr. Church succeeded him as president after his father's death. Within a few years, he resigned this position to manage the family's extensive real estate holdings. On July 26, 1911, Robert Church, Jr., married Sara P. Johnson of Washington, D. C.. They became the parents of one child, Sara Roberta.

Robert Church, Jr., was a delegate from Memphis to eight successive Republican National Conventions from 1912-1940.  He was requested frequently to recommend individuals for federal jobs in other southern states. He was consulted about political strategy by Republican Presidents and other high party officials so often that Time magazine referred to Church as the "roving dictator of the Lincoln Belt." 

In 1899, the city of Memphis did not provide recreational facilities such as parks and playgrounds for its black citizens, nor were there any suitable places where black theatrical troupes could perform. It was to meet these needs that Robert R. Church bought a tract of land and built on it an auditorium with funds he had accumulated since the Civil War. The park was called "Church's Park and Auditorium" and was located on a site of over six acres on Beale Street near Fourth and Turley. The grounds were handsomely and generously landscaped, and the auditorium, equipped with the best and most modern accommodations of the time, could seat 2,200 people. 

Church's Park and Auditorium was built by Mr. Church, owned  and managed by him. It was heralded as the only business venture of its kind in America and represented an unusual business feat for anyone at any time in history. An article in the September 15, 1906 Planter Journal noted that the auditorium cost $50,000 and that it was well equipped and had one of the largest stages in the South, completely furnished with all modern equipment, including a fire-proof curtain.

The Planter's Journal, established as a Cotton planter's journal in Memphis, Tennessee, also pointed out that the park and auditorium were without a doubt the most beautiful of its kind in the entire country. 

President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, was a guest at a reception given by the black citizens of Memphis and addressed an estimated audience of over 10,000 citizens there on November 19, 1902. Booker T. Washington and party, who were touring Tennessee, also were guests there for breakfast in the banquet hall of the auditorium on November 24, 1909. James Shilliday, Herbert J. Seligmann, James Weldon Johnson, and Walter White, all officials of the national office of the NAACP, visited the location. 

The Lincoln Republican League, founded and organized by Robert R. Church, Jr., held its meetings in the auditorium, as did the first Memphis Branch of the NAACP. The Church of God In Christ, founded by Bishop C. H. Mason, held its convocations in the Church Park Auditorium before Mason Temple was built. William C. Handy, the world famous "blues" composer and musician, was employed to play for dances in Church's Park and Auditorium. The Cotton Makers' Jubilee, the black arm of the spring Cotton Carnival festival, was held on the site. World-acclaimed musicians Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Cab Calloway all played jazz there. Numerous school activities, including Lemoyne Owen College athletic games, dances, and other events were held there. 

Much of Memphis' early black history took place on Beale Street in Church's Park and Auditorium.

In 1993, the Church Park was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and was made a part of the Beale Street Historic District.

2013! It’s time we came back to our roots!  Republican policies have consistently supported  conditions enabling people to create jobs, enabling people to have higher wages. More importantly, those same policies support a stronger middle class.  Look around you! If you don’t believe me, how’s this economy working out for you? 

Ask yourself, “When was the last time you took the time to do the research and voted for the best person, even if they are Republican?”

~brought to you by CharlottePAC.org.