William Madison McDonald
Forney, Kaufman County, Texas
Marker Inscription
William Madison McDonald William Madison "Gooseneck Bill" McDonald was born in 1866 near Johnson Point, a small community southeast of Terrell. His parents, former slaves, were George McDonald, born in Tennessee, and Flora Scott McDonald, born in Alabama. His mother died when he was young, and his father remarried to Belle Crouch. McDonald started school at age seven and graduated from high school in 1884. He had the reputation of being the smartest boy in all the area schools. During his youth, he worked for attorney and rancher Capt. Z.T. Adams, who took an interest in McDonald, lecturing him on business and law while he worked. After graduating, McDonald was principal of the African American high school in Forney. His first wife, Alice Gibson McDonald, was a teacher there. He remained principal for several years. McDonald was an early leader in Texas' Republican party as part of the "Black and Tan" faction, a group of whites and blacks who shared leadership roles. His political partnership with powerful businessman E.H.R. Green provided him a strong voice in state politics. In 1899, he became the right worshipful grand secretary of Texas' African American Masons, a position he held for almost 50 years. McDonald moved in 1906 to Fort Worth, where he was a civic leader and businessman. He died in 1950 and is buried in Old Trinity Cemetery, part of Fort Worth's Oakwood Cemetery. Throughout his life, McDonald was a leader in the struggle for social justice, advocating persistence and civic and moral responsibility as the steps to equality. (2002)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in 1866 near Terrell to parents who had been enslaved, William Madison "Gooseneck Bill" McDonald rose through the segregated schools of his day with a reputation as the sharpest student in the county, graduating in 1884 and becoming principal of Forney's African American high school. He built a formidable second career in politics as a leader of the Republican "Black and Tan" faction, in business, and as grand secretary of Texas' African American Masons for nearly half a century. Moving to Fort Worth in 1906, he became one of the state's most influential Black civic leaders before his death in 1950.
Why it matters
McDonald's life shows how, within a single generation of emancipation, a son of formerly enslaved parents could become a power broker in Texas politics and a durable voice for Black advancement.
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Related people
- · William Madison McDonald
- · Alice Gibson McDonald
- · E.H.R. Green
Themes & tags
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