Rufus Rhodes

Rufus Rhodes in 1904

Rufus Napoleon Rhodes (born June 5, 1856 in Pascagoula, Mississippi – died January 12, 1910 in Birmingham) was the founder and managing editor of The Birmingham News from its beginning in 1888 until his death.

Rufus was the son of Rufus Randolph Rhodes, an attorney, and Martha Fisher. He was educated in New Orleans, Louisiana; Cluster Springs, Virginia; and the Southwestern University at Clarksville, Tennessee. After reading law at the office of James Bailey in Clarksville he was admitted to the Tennessee State Bar on his 19th birthday.

In 1877 Rhodes was elected City Attorney of Clarksville and represented Montgomery County in the Tennessee Assembly. In 1882 he married the former Margaret Smith. After four years of practicing law in Chicago, Illinois he moved to Birmingham in 1887 with an interest in journalism. He founded the News on March 14, 1888 and used it and his frequent public lectures to advocate for civic progress, order and good morals.

Rhodes, commissioned a Brigadier General in the Alabama National Guard by the authority of the Governor of Alabama, was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of 1892 and 1904. He also served as a director and second vice-president of the Associated Press.

Rhodes, who was a vestryman at the Episcopal Church of the Advent, is buried in Birmingham's Elmwood Cemetery. Rhodes Park on Highland Avenue is named for him.

Preceded by: none

Birmingham News Publisher 1888–1910

Succeeded by: Victor Hanson

References

• Dubose, Joel Campbell (1904) Notable men of Alabama: Personal and Genealogical 2 Volumes. Atlanta, Georgia: Southern Historical Association