Charles P. Buchanan

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Charles P. Buchanan was a manager at Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, New York City. During his time as a manager, Buchanan also co-founded the Powell-Buchanan Publishing Company, along with Adam Clayton Powell Jr. with its most notably publication being The People's Voice . [1]

Contents

Early life

Charles P. Buchanan was born in Barbados in the British West Indies on March 18, 1898 to Lillian Kachlan and James E Buchanan. Buchanan immigrated to the Bronx, New York, USA in 1904 at six years old. [2] He was enrolled in Rhodes Business and Prep School, becoming a real estate broker. [3]

Career

Buchanan is most recognized as the manager and secretary-treasurer of The Savoy Ballroom, serving for 32 years from 1926 to 1958. After the Savoy Ballroom closed its doors, Buchanan returned to a real estate career throughout the early to mid 1960's. Buchanan then pursued the chairman and chairman emeritus role at the United Mutual Life Insurance Company, the only black-operated licensed mutual insurance company chartered in the state of New York. [3]

While occupied, Buchanan found time to be active in organizations around New York. This includes the New York Urban League, the N.A.A.C.P. Legal Defense and Education Fund, as well as the Y.M.C.A. located in Harlem. [3]

Personal life

Buchanan had two wives. His first wife was Bessie A. Buchanan, the first African-American woman to hold a seat in the New York State Legislature when she was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1954. [4] His second wife was Annabelle Buchanan who survived Buchanan after his passing in 1984. [5]

Buchanan died on December 13, 1984, at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City, New York, at the age of 86 succumbing to a stroke.

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References

  1. "A New Kind of Newspaper: Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and "The People's Voice" – New York City in the '40s" . Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  2. "Ancestry Library Edition". ancestrylibrary.proquest.com. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  3. 1 2 3 "TimesMachine: Friday December 14, 1984 - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  4. Smith, Jessie Carney; Phelps, Shirelle (1992). Notable Black American Women. VNR AG. ISBN   978-0-8103-9177-2.
  5. "Charles P. BuchananIsDead;RanSavoyBallroom 32 Years". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-05-08.