- [Gwen] He stood up for hard work, morality, for respect.

He was so outstanding in so many ways.

Most people didn't know anything about George Knox.

He just kind of melded into history.

- [Narrator] In 1863, the Civil War reached Statesville, Tennessee where a young slave named George Knox dreamed of freedom.

- He was an enslaved man.

We don't, we should never forget that.

He was sold into slavery for $300.

He decided that he would join the Grand Army of the Republic, and he did that.

- [Narrator] George escaped and led a party of slaves across enemy lines near Murphysboro where they joined up with Indiana's 57th infantry.

For much of the Civil War, black men were not allowed to serve as soldiers in the Union Army.

Even though Knox could not fight he was able to help in other ways.

- [Gwen] He learned a lot.

He was a cook, he was a messenger, and he was a mule driver.

- [Narrator] George made his way north and decided to set up a barbershop in Greenfield, home of the 57th.

Signs proudly announced the barbershop as that of George Knox MD.

A little joke for the soldiers who visited him.

- Everybody thought he was a doctor but it stood for Mule Driver.

I love that story.

- [Narrator] In his shop, he rubbed elbows with the political and social elite of the day and took on a part-timer you might have heard of, James Whitcomb Riley himself.

Gwen Betor is a docent at Greenfield's Riley Boyhood home and museum, and a passionate fan of history.

- [Gwen] James Whitcomb Riley painted shaving mugs for George Knox.

Now, I have never seen a shaving mug yet that James Whitcomb Riley painted.

I want to know if anybody has one to please contact the Riley Boyhood home because we would love to see it.

- [Narrator] James Whitcomb Riley's friendship with George Knox would last a lifetime and Riley even included specific mention of Knox's shop in his poem, "Local politician from a way back".

- [Reader] "Ketched him in at Knox's shop On'y t'other day Gittin' shaved, the Jedge was, Er somepin' thataway".

- [Narrator] Greenfield could not contain Knox's ambitions for long.

As his business soared George set up shops in some of Indianapolis premier hotels.

- [Gwen] Famous people came to him.

The movers and shakers of Indianapolis came to his parlors.

After a while, he would just manage the barbershops but when these people came in, he would make a special occasion to give them a special shave.

- [Narrator] Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis is the the final resting place for many of Indie's most prominent citizens.

- I tend to think of it almost as a People Museum of Indiana.

We try to connect people with history, both in person and on the internet, with what people that are buried here have done to make Indiana what it is.

- [Narrator] Perhaps its most well known resident is James Whitcomb Riley himself.

But just down the hill rests an old friend and major mover and shaker in Indiana politics.

During his early days in Greenfield George Knox became a strong supporter of the then liberal Republican Party and used his position as a barber to learn the political concerns of his patrons and pass that information along to Republican strategists.

Knox gained the reputation of a political king maker and his prominence in the party peaked when he was named a delegate at large to the Republican National Convention, making him one of the first African-American men to hold that honor.

- [Tom] But he also saw that while he'd been a staunch Republican for many years, that the Republican party wasn't delivering on their promise and opened up possibly seeking out other avenues to establish better relations for the colored people of Indiana.

- [Narrator] Frustrated with the slow progress of rights for black people, George Knox took matters into his own hands and ran for Congress in 1904 as an independent.

White-owned newspapers attacked Knox framing his candidacy as a betrayal of both his party and his race.

After a bruising campaign, George Knox withdrew from politics and focused on his barbershops and his newspaper.

- His financial success enabled him to purchase The Freeman, a premier black newspaper of the day and made an autobiography that printed in his newspaper.

- [Narrator] In 1895, George Knox bought a struggling African American newspaper and quickly turned it into a nationwide success.

To introduce himself to the masses he began telling his story, the story of his family, and the struggles that he faced escaping to freedom.

- [Tom] In his day he was acknowledged by all as the premier colored man in Indiana, both because of his wealth and his influence.

His legacy would've been not just with the newspaper but in other organizations.

- [Narrator] He was heavily involved in the anti-lynching movement and was even one of the early supporters of the fledgling NAACP.

George Knox passed away in 1927 and was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery where he could continue to rub elbows with the political and social elite of Indianapolis.

Though he has faded from local history he has certainly not been forgotten.

- We would like to have a historical marker at City Hall, where Gooding Tavern was or something, that acknowledges him.

- [Narrator] Fitting tribute to a man who lived a truly remarkable life.

A slave, freedman, barber, publisher, and a local politician from a way back.