James E. McGirt
James Ephraim McGirt was an African American poet, publisher, and businessman born in North Carolina. The son of a farmer, he pursued his education at Allen Private School and Bennett College, where he received a B.A. in 1895. While working as a launderer and drayman, McGirt published his poetry, including two volumes, before relocating to Philadelphia. There, he founded and edited McGirt's Magazine from 1903 to 1909, which focused on African American culture and featured works by notable figures like W. E. B. Du Bois and Paul Laurence Dunbar. McGirt's Magazine also served as a platform for political expression, supporting African American voter organization and movements. Despite his literary ambitions, McGirt transitioned into successful business ventures, including a hair care company and real estate. While his literary works have not garnered significant attention, his contributions to the magazine and advocacy for African American voices have established his importance in the context of early 20th-century African American literature. His efforts paved the way for future publications during the Harlem Renaissance.
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James E. McGirt
- Born: September 1, 1874
- Birthplace: Robeson County, North Carolina
- Died: June 13, 1930
Biography
James Ephraim McGirt was one of four children born to Madison McGirt, a farmer, and his wife, Ellen (née Townsend) McGirt. McGirt completed all of his education in North Carolina. He attended Allen Private School in Lumberton and a public school in Greensboro. McGirt began his matriculation at Bennett College in 1891 and received a B.A. degree in 1895. He earned a living as a launderer and a drayman while he pursued his dream of becoming a poet.
Before moving from Greensboro to Philadelphia, McGirt published two volumes of verse: Avenging the Maine, A Drunken A.B., and Other Poems, which was revised and enlarged for two consecutive years after its 1899 debut publication, and Some Simple Songs and a Few More Ambitious Attempts, which was described as a fourth edition of Avenging the Maine by at least one critic. From September, 1903, to August, 1908, McGirt published and edited the Philadelphia-based McGirt’s Magazine; after August, 1908, poor sales resulted in McGirt changing his magazine from a monthly to a quarterly publication. McGirt’s Magazine showcased African American culture and featured writing by such prominent African Americans as John Bruce, Anna Julia Cooper, W. E. B. DuBois, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Frances E. W. Harper, and Mary Church Terrell. McGirt also included his poetry and prose in his publication; his longer fiction work, “Black Hand,” was serialized in the magazine.
McGirt also used his magazine as the official publication of the Constitutional Brotherhood of America, an organization that attempted to organize African American voters and as a vehicle to support the National Afro-American Council as well as the Niagara Movement. McGirt’s Magazine and political activities did not prevent him from producing additional works during this period. His third volume of verse, For Your Sweet Sake, was published in 1906, one year before the publication of his short-story collection, The Triumphs of Ephraim (which was published by McGirt’s Publishing Company), and three years before an enlarged edition of For Your Sweet Sake was published.
The year that the enlarged edition of For Your Sweet Sake was published, 1909, proved to be a bittersweet one because McGirt stopped publishing the magazine, dissolved McGirt’s Publishing Company, and returned home to Greensboro. McGirt never achieved his goals as a writer; he became a prosperous businessman instead. McGirt and his sister Mary transformed the Star Hair Grower Manufacturing Company into a profitable manufacturing and distribution company. McGirt also enjoyed success as a realtor.
Forty-two years after McGirt’s death in 1930, The Triumphs of Ephraim was reprinted, yet the book’s publication did not generate renewed interest in McGirt’s writing. Although McGirt’s three volumes of verse and single collection of short stories have never received sustained attention from literary critics and the reading public, his efforts on behalf of McGirt’s Magazine have secured his place in African American literary history. During the first decade of the twentieth century, he dared to publish a magazine that offered African Americans a vehicle for literary and political expression and was a forerunner of three popular Harlem Renaissance magazines: The Crisis, Opportunity; A Journal of Negro Life, and The Messenger.