Tourgee, Albion Winegar

toor-zha', Albion Winegar (1838-), an American jurist and author. He was born at Williamsfield, Ohio. He was educated at the University of Rochester, New York. He enlisted as a soldier in the Civil War, but was wounded in the battle of Bull Run, and obtained consequently his discharge. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar at Painesville, Ohio. In 1862 he again entered military service. He began the practice of law in 1865 at Greensboro, North Carolina. His first novels, A Fool's Errand and Figs and Thistles, were published in 1879. These, as well as several later stories, had to do with reconstruction times in the South. They created wide interest and discussion. Bricks Without Straw, An Appeal to Caesar, and Hot Ploughshares are other titles.