The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1918-08-17
THE PASSING OF CAPTAIN LEON
II. JORDAN.
The End of a Brilliant Career.

Captain Leon H. Jordan, one of the
best known men of the race in Mis-
souri,, passed away Saturday evening,
August 8, at o'clock at Topeka, Kan
sas. He was a man of unusual abil-
ity and of a striking personality. His
highest ambition was to be a man;
for this he lived, struggled and died.
He was ambitious, and no matter how
difficult might be any work in which
he was engaged, he sought by ability
and efficiency to lead. Passing rap
idly through the grade and high
schools of this city, he early evidenced
those remarkable qualities of mind
and heart that at once stamped him
as a born leader of men. He loved
politics, not for self, but as weapon
for the defense of his race. AS a dep
uty United States marshal under the
distinguished Confederate General, 10
Shelby, Assistant Recorder of Deeds
under the famous first Negro Demo
crat of note, C. H. j. Taylor, Captain
in the Spanish-American War, seeing
service in the Philippine Islands, he
made a record so brilliant that it will
live in the minds of men for years to
come. That he might be able to look
after his large interests, he devoted
years to the study of law, and was one
of the best posted men of the race on
civil practice" He was contrac-
tor and builder, constructing one of
the great sewers of Kansas City and
building grain elevators at Atchison
and at Kansas City, Kas., in all of
which undertakings he won the conf
dence and respect of those for whom
he labored. In all of the stirring ac-
tivities in which the Negroes of Kan
sas City and the State of Missouri
have been interested during the past
quarter century, no man was more
active than Leon H. Jordan. He gave
freely his time, his money and his
voice: and of the latter it may be
truthfully said, he was one of the
most eloquent men of his day. Years
ago when a Democratic Legislature
sought to saddle an obnoxious Jim
Grow" law upon the State of Missouri,
it was Leon Jordan who called the
| leaders of the race together and hur-
ried to Jefferson City to battle for the
rights of his people, and his mastery
effort before the legislature will never
be forgotten. For nearly an hour, he
poured out torrent of eloquence be-
fore that august body that wrung from
them the heartiest applause and turn
| 9 s,, Cow Of
the Negro The bill was defeated and
every Negro in Missouri owes him a
debt of gratitude. With him upon this
memorable occasion was such dis
tinguished men as Bishop Abram
Grant, Hon. j. Milton Turner, Hon.
Nelson c. Crews, Hon. George B. Va
shon, Prof. ]. Silas Harris and others
whose names are familiar to the peO-
pie OF the Nation. Just little while
ago the news of the East st. Louis
horror" cast a gloom over all Amer
lea. Strong men and women wept
like infants as the news of this awful
butchery of innocent and defenseless
people swept over the land and a
congressional investigation was de-
manded by the leading Negroes of
Kansas City. 1t was Leon Jordan's
money that paid for hundreds of tele-
grams to members of the United
States Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives, and to his generosity the
Negroes of the United States are in
debted for the first investigation of
race riots by the National Govern
ment. Leon Jordan lived in the most
critical hour of our national life; an
hour when the race, needed strong
men, men of courage, men of vision,
men willing to do and die for prin-
ciple, and no man who knew him will
deny him membership in this group.
His day is done and his worth to this
community will grow in estimation as
the years pass by. He leaves a wife,
son, a mother, four sisters, three
brothers, and a host of friends to
mourn his loss. The Sun exceedingly
regrets his passing and extends to the
family, and especially his dear old
mother, one OF the races grandest
women, its deepest sympathy.