A Commentary on Hugh Cale

(Originally published in the DAILY ADVANCE of Elizabeth City, NC on July 22, 2010)

Today marks 100 years since the passing of one of the most prominent citizens in the history of Pasquotank County.

Hugh Cale died in Elizabeth City on July 22, 1910. Interestingly enough, later this year, November 27, 2010, will mark the 175th anniversary of Cale's birth.

Cale's life (1835-1910) spans the exact same 75 years as the renowned writer Mark Twain. Twain famously said that he arrived with Halley's Comet and he expected to depart with it. He did, and so did Hugh Cale.

Although Hugh Cale is most famous for being the General Assembly member who introduced and shepherded the state legislation that led to the establishment of what is now Elizabeth City State University, he served the citizens of Pasquotank County in numerous other civic and governmental capacities.

He was elected Treasurer of Elizabeth City. He served two terms on the Pasquotank County Board of Commissioners. The present courthouse was erected during his second term on the Commission.

He also was an Elizabeth City School District Committeeman and served as a member of the local Board of Education. He was one of the 1888 petitioners for Elizabeth City’s first fire engine, “Inez,” which has been restored and currently is on exhibit at the Museum of the Albemarle.

In addition to these elected positions, Hugh Cale was a grocer, a realtor, a justice of the peace, a grand juror, and a delegate to several Republican National Conventions.

All of this took place during an era when, according to the July 30 1910 edition of The Tar Heel Weekly, this black politician paid an enormous personal and financial toll in order to
gain the political capital and access to public service.

Even with this access, Hugh Cale could not prevent the 1898 legislative acts and the 1900 amendment to the North Carolina Constitution that, in effect, disenfranchised
the majority of African-Americans in our state until the civil rights acts of 1964 and 1965.

Although a rather short man, Hugh Cale stood tall for Pasquotank County citizens of all races. He was a strong Republican, but he worked across the aisle to support bills that were good for all of the people of the county, the region, and the state.

Even so, the 1910-era journalists at The Tar Heel Weekly, who were undoubtedly intending to be complimentary, began an extended newspaper story of his death with a reference to Cale as a “rather picturesque darky."

Despite the limitations that were placed on his life in the late 1800s and the early 1900s, Hugh Cale ranks among the most versatile and influential public servants in the annals of Pasquotank County history. However, 100 years later, the commemoration of his life and works appears to continue to be segregated and mainly relegated to the African-American segment of the overall Pasquotank County community.

The calendar year of 2010 presents the multi-ethnic citizens of Pasquotank County with an opportunity to reach out and embrace the legacy of Hugh Cale. I propose that the county commissioners’ meeting room at the courthouse be named for Mr. Cale. Such a tribute can serve as a visible acknowledgement of the community-wide embrace of the legacy of Hugh Cale on the rich grounds of the seat of county government.

Perhaps this honor can be bestowed upon Hugh Cale sometime before the 175th anniversary of his birth on November 27, 2010.

Eddie Davis