On May 8, 1915, Bishop Henry McNeal Turner passed away at the age of 82. A towering figure in 19th-century Black leadership, Turner was the first African American chaplain in the U.S. Army, appointed during the Civil War in 1863. Beyond his military service, he was a fiery orator, newspaper editor, Georgia state legislator during Reconstruction, and one of the most influential bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Turner was also an outspoken advocate for Black self-determination and African repatriation, arguing that freedom required full control over Black destiny. His death marked the end of an era for both church and civic leadership.
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