John McKee (Colonel)
| John McKee | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | 1821 Alexandria, Virginia |
| Died | 6 April 1902 Philadelphia |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Property owner |
| Known for | Disputed legacy |
Colonel John McKee (1821 – 6 April 1902) was an African American who became an extremely wealthy property owner in Philadelphia. McKee City, New Jersey is named after him. His legacy continues to fund scholarships for orphan boys.
John Mckee was born in Alexandria, Virginia around 1821. An 1838 registration in Alexandria describes him as "a bright mulatto boy, about 19 years old, 5 feet 4½ inches tall, who is straight built with light colored eyes. He was born free, as appears by oaths of Betsey Beckley and Fanny Beckley." He was indentured to a bricklayer while a teenager, ran away but was brought back to complete his indenture. He moved to Philadelphia, first finding work in a livery stable.
McKee became a waiter, working for James Prosser, who owned a successful restaurant on Market Street in Philadelphia. He married Emeline, Prosser's daughter, and ran the restaurant until 1866, when he moved into property speculation. McKee is said to have fought during the American Civil War (1861–1865). On 17 June 1870 McKee enlisted in the 12th Regiment of the Pennsylvania National Guard. In 1872 he was made lieutenant colonel of the 13th Regiment. He served under white General Louis Wagner.
In the period immediately after the civil war, many former slaves were migrating north to seek new opportunities. In Philadelphia McKee was able to exploit them by providing cheap housing in exchange for rents and for the titles on property that the former slaves had been granted in the South. McKee's expanded his holdings from housing in Philadelphia to acreage in West Virginia, Georgia, Kentucky. He then sold some of the southern property and bought more land in Philadelphia and land in New York and New Jersey.
McKee seems to have been or become very tight-fisted, spending no money on his office, or on repairs to his houses. According to one person who knew him, "he viewed life and individuals from only one standpoint, and that was what it and they were worth to him personally." A newspaper reporting his death described him as "a man absolutely devoid of sentiment." McKee eventually owned between 300 and 400 houses in Philadelphia. Other properties included about 300,000 acres of coal and oil land in Kentucky and Logan County, West Virginia, twenty-one acres near Philadelphia's Fifty Street and Oregon Avenue in Philadelphia, and extensive acreage on the Delaware River, in New York State and elsewhere.
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