Ambrose Elliott Gonzales was an American journalist and writer born on a plantation in Colleton County, South Carolina. After initially working as a telegraph operator, he and his brother Narciso Gonzales co-founded The State, a prominent South Carolina newspaper. Through this publication, Gonzales and his brother championed progressive causes for their era, actively opposing lynching and advocating for voting rights. Their editorial stance drew sharp opposition from local political figures, most notably South Carolina's white supremacist governor Benjamin Tillman, whose nephew eventually murdered Narciso.
Beyond his journalistic career, Gonzales is remembered for his literary contributions to Southern regionalism. He wrote numerous black dialect sketches focusing on the Gullah people of the South Carolina and Georgia Lowcountry. These writings attempted to capture the unique language and culture of the coastal African American communities, cementing his legacy as both a pioneering newspaperman and a key figure in regional dialect literature.
