ELLIS, GEORGE WASHINGTON
George Washington Ellis was born May 4, 1875,
in Weston, Missouri. He earned a bachelor of
laws degree from the University of Kansas in
1893, attended Howard University in Washing-
ton, D.C., for two years where he studied psy-
chology and philosophy, and graduated from
Gunton’s Institute of Economics and Sociology
in New York in 1900.
After practicing law for several years, Ellis
worked in the Census Department in Washing-
ton in 1900. He served as secretary of the Amer-
ican legation to the Republic of Liberia for eight
years beginning in 1902.
In 1910, Ellis returned from Liberia and
established a legal practice in Chicago, earning a
reputation as a prestigious counselor. From 1917
to 1919, he served as assistant corporation coun-
sel for Chicago.
Ellis’s interest in Africa continued through-
out his life, and his experiences in Liberia influ-
enced his career as a writer and lecturer. He
investigated the social structure and folklore
history of that nation and presented speeches
concerning Africa and the question of race. He
was an editor of the Journal of Race Develop-
ment, and authored several publications, includ-
ing Negro Culture in West Africa (1914); Negro
Achievements in Social Progress (1915); and The
Leopard’s Claw (1917).
Ellis died November 26, 1919, in Chicago,
