Background

Ralph Randolph Gurley was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, United States, on May 26, 1797; the fifth of the seven children of the Rev. John and Mary (Porter) Gurley.

Education

Ralph Randolph Gurley entered Yale with the class of 1818 and before graduating was recognized among the first in his class.

Career

Upon leaving Yale Ralph Randolph Gurley removed to Washington, D. C. , where, in 1822, he became an agent of the American Colonization Society, and to this organization he devoted the rest of his life.

He was successively agent, secretary, vice-president, and life director. His work as secretary was largely in Washington, where he looked after the correspondence, planned and outfitted the expeditions of the colonists, regulated the affairs of Liberia on the American side of the Atlantic, edited for twenty-five years the organ of the Society, the African Repository, and prepared for an even longer time its Annual Reports.

Besides these duties he wrote for the press on colonization and lectured for the Society in North, West, and South.

With the rise of the abolition movement his efforts in behalf of colonization increased, and he even invaded New England to debate publicly with several of the leading abolitionists.

Later he crossed the Atlantic to urge the cause of colonization in England, where he engaged in spirited public debates at Egyptian Hall, London.

His Mission to England (1841), published upon his return, “contains some of the best articles ever penned on the subject of African colonization”.

He thrice visited Liberia.

In 1824 he was sent thither for the first time by the Society and the United States government to investigate charges made against Jehudi Ashmun, who was unofficially acting as governor, and to straighten out existing difficulties in the colony.

The latter task he performed satisfactorily, drawing up a “Plan for the Civil Government of Liberia” which was adopted by the people, accepted by the Society, and put into successful operation.

His investigation completely vindicated Ashmun and contributed to Ashmun’s first appointment as colonial agent for Liberia.

Later Gurley became Ashmun’s biographer, publishing Life of Jehudi Ashmun, Late Colonial Agent in Liberia, in 1835.

In 1849 he again visited Liberia under instructions from the United States government, and upon his return made a report on the condition and prospects of the colony, which was printed.

Upon the occasion of his final visit in 1867 he was warmly received by the people.

Gurley was a licentiate of the Presbytery of the District of Columbia, and, although never ordained or installed over any church, preached "'idely, his services being eagerly sought for particularly among the colored churches.

He also acted for a time as chaplain of the House of Representatives.

Achievements

• Ralph Randolph Gurley was a outstanding philanthropist, successively agent, secretary, vice-president, and life director of the American Colonization Society, he wrote for the press on colonization and lectured for the Society in North, West, and S. With the rise of the abolition movement his efforts in behalf of colonization increased and he dedicated all his life to this idea.

Works

More photos

• book

  • A discourse preached in the Center Church, in New Haven, August 27, 1828 at the funeral of Jehudi Ashmun, Esq. : colonial agent of the American colony of Liberia

    (This reproduction was printed from a digital file created...)

  • Life of Jehudi Ashmun, Late Colonial Agent in Liberia: With an Appendix Containing Extracts from His Journal and Other Writings, with a Brief Sketch of the Life of the Rev. Lott Cary

    (This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)

  • The African Repository, and Colonial Journal, Vol. 8: March, 1832-February, 1833 (Classic Reprint)

    (Excerpt from The African Repository, and Colonial Journal...)

  • Life Of Jehudi Ashmun, Late Colonial Agent In Liberia: With An Appendix, Containing Extracts From His Journal And Other Writings : With A Brief Sketch Of The Life Of The Rev. Lott Cary

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • The African Repository - Vol. VIII

    (The African Repository - Vol. VIII by Ralph Randolph Gurl...)

  • Mission to England: In Behalf of the American Colonization Society.

Politics

Ralph Randolph Gurley was “essentially a peacemaker and lover of the Union”; the more radical abolitionists considered him pro-slavery; but when the war came he sided with the North.

Views

"During those years of bitter struggle, between 1830 and 1840, Gurley stands out as the great Colonizationist”.

Among the poor, and particularly among the negro poor, of Washington, his labors were abundant, and to save one negro family from separation he even sacrificed his own library and his home.

Personality

His reputation as a controversialist was high, for Ralph Randolph Gurley was “blessed with one of the mildest and gentlest of dispositions which was manifested in his placid smile, his mild, benevolent face and gentle manner, which charmed everyone”.

Connections

Ralph Randolph Gurley died in Washington only three months after the death of his wife, Eliza (McLellan) Gurley, who had come to that city as a bride nearly forty-five years before. Of their thirteen children but two survived their parents.

Father:

John Gurley

Mother:

Mary (Porter) Gurley

Wife:

Eliza (McLellan) Gurley

References

• Address of the Managers of the American Colonization Society, to the People of the United States: Adopted at Their Meeting, June 19, 1832 (Classic Reprint)
• A Discourse: Commemorative of the Life and Character of Rev. Ralph Randolph Gurley (Classic Reprint)
• Life of Jehudi Ashmun, Late Colonial Agent in Liberia.