John+Hanover+Warwick,+Barber

John Hanover Warwick, Barber Original Author: Jermaine Johnson, ENG346

The report that you will be reading today is going to give you an in-depth look at a gentlemen who owned and operated a business in Davenport, Iowa in the mid 1800’s. John Hanover Warwick, as he will be called throughout this inquiry, owned and operated a barbershop in Davenport, Iowa. Mr. Warwick was raised in the state of Virginia, being born in 1822. Being such a well liked young child, and given the fact that his mother was a slave, John was admired and even bought from slavery by a woman who he came to know as “Aunt Matilda.” Coming of age, John decided it was time to move on with his life and he soon found his niche.Visualizing a dream of one day becoming a barber, John trained under the apprenticeship of Reuben West, a barber who showed young John the tricks of the trade for five years. However, while crafting his skills at becoming a barber, John traveled the country, as well the world. He used his education in institutions of learning throughout Richmond, Virginia to his advantage, meeting some of the most distinguished men of his day, including Junius Booth, father of Edwin Booth, who happened to be a great actor back in those days Junius Booth happens to be the family patriarch of all line of actors(Booth Family Timeline). He is the father of James Wilkes Booth, the man who killed President Abraham Lincoln (Booth Family Timeline). It has been reported that Junius Booth wrote a letter threatening then Pres. Andrew Jackson(letter). Being born in 1796 in England, Junius made his professional acting debut in 1813. Other people are Henry Clay, a Washington statesman, who gave John the privilege of earning a visitors pass to be able to enter government buildings as he pleased, and Louis Rogers, a French government contractor who was so impressed with John that he allowed him to sail to Paris with him, an honor at the time for a black man back in that period of slavery and racism. Henry Clay, (biography)born in Virginia in 1777, was also a attorney, U.S. Congressman and Senator who made two unsuccessful bids for the U.S. Presidency. Louis Rogers, also known as L.W. Rogers, was born in Iowa in 1859. He was also a socialist political activist and an American trade union representative. Mr. Rogers taught at public schools in Iowa and Kansas(wikipedia). Through perseverance and determination, John fulfilled his dream of becoming a barber and came to Davenport with his wife, Mrs. John Warwick, in 1847.

John and his wife had five children. They had four boys and one girl. The family opened up a barbershop on Third street in Davenport, Iowa. They opened their shop in the district of Davenport, Iowa in a district where black owned businesses were blossoming and spreading like wildfire. According to African Americans in Davenport on Wikipedia’s website, entrepreneurs such as Linsey Pitts and Mattie Burke started their business in Davenport, opening up saloons and restaurants, respectively. (Purcell) John and his four sons operated the barbershop in downtown Davenport. The son of John, Locke, went on to become a local celebrity by participating in other activities besides being a barber. He traveled around the country, most notably Chicago and performed in shows and parades showcasing his skill. John was proud of his son, who showed that he wasn’t the only Warwick who had talent!

John lived his remaining years in the city of Davenport, Iowa. After his death in 1895, his wife went to live with family in Wisconsin, thus ending their reign in the Quad Cities as a family with a great entrepreneurial spirit. He is a true example of a leader. Anyone that can rise above being a slave to owning a business while their counterparts are still slaves in a period such as the 1800’s, is nothing short of a role model.

Works Cited

“African Americans in Davenport, Iowa.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2012.  “Purcell, William L. “Old Time Cullud Folks.” Them Was the Good Old Days, in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa,. [Davenport, Ia.]: Pub. By Purcell Print., 1922. N. pag. Print. “Booth Family Timeline.” Centerforthearts.com Is for Sale @ DomainMarket.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.  Freeman, Katie. “Letter Threatening Jackson’s Life Determined to Be Written by Father of Man Who Killed Lincoln. “Knoxville News Sentinel: Local Knoxville, Tennessee News Delivered Throughout the Day. N.p., 25 Jan. 2009. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.  “Henry Clay. Biography.” “Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.  “L.W. Rogers.” “Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. .

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