On October 30, 1918, James Walker Hood died. Hood was a missionary in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and was sent in 1863 to North Carolina where he served black congregations in New Bern and Beaufort. He established a North Carolina Conference of the AME Zion Church in 1864. He became a church bishop in 1872. In addition to his role in the church, Hood also sought to become involved in politics as a vocal and successful advocate for the rights of blacks.
Courtesy of This Day in North Carolina History