John Hervey Wheeler, Black Banking, and the Economic Struggle for Civil Rights

A clearly written and well-researched study.... Winford has written an important book that recovers the fascinating story of John Hervey Wheeler. It provides a fair and balanced assessment of his legacy and expands historical knowledge of the Black freedom struggle in the Tar Heel State.

~Journal of Southern History

This informative work chronicles the life of one of the unsung titans of the civil rights period and casts new light on the dynamic role this banker, activist, and humanitarian played in the middle of the twentieth century. A much-needed and insightful contribution to the historiography of the black freedom struggle, both in North Carolina and the region, this volume illuminates the still-underanalyzed relationship between black economic institutions, larger mainstream economic structures, and the evolution of black freedom in the nation.

~Charles W. McKinney Jr., coeditor of An Unseen Light: Black Struggles for Freedom in Memphis, Tennessee

Brandon K. Winford's impressive biography brilliantly places banker and attorney John Hervey Wheeler at the center of the long black freedom struggle in North Carolina. Meticulously researched, this outstanding work of scholarship makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the history of black business and the civil rights movement and should be required reading for students of both subjects.

~Jerry Gershenhorn, author of Louis Austin and the Carolina Times: A Life in the Long Black Freedom Struggle

This is a great book about a great man who, through mentoring and sponsoring me early in my career, is largely responsible for whatever success I have in my life. And I am one of many, black and white, who were instructed and inspired by John Hervey Wheeler's extraordinary life of leadership and service.

~Vernon E. Jordan Jr., former president of the National Urban League and adviser to President Bill Clinton

Winfred's magnificently researched book covers several fields of inquiry, including Black business history, African American history, and North Carolina history. Wheeler's legacy as both Black banker and civil rights leader is very important and more likely to remain a fixture of the contemporary dialogue due to this work. Models like Wheeler's become especially important, valued, and worthy of study—and possibly even imitation—in our current milieu.

~The Journal of African American History