How an ex-slave made a fortune in the coal business by beating white merchants at their own game
2 years ago
He was a former slave, a coal magnate, a churchman, a philanthropist, and a wealthy Ohioan. In fact, at the time of his death, Robert Gordon was described as Ohio’s wealthiest Black man, having left behind an estate worth $200,000 (almost $5.7 million today). A Cincinnati Black businessman, he acquired his wealth during slavery interestingly...