The Duke Legacy

Bloomington, IN: IUniverse, 2014. 383 pages. This book appears to be partly a history of the Duke family beginning with the author's ancestor Washington Duke, who was heartbroken about the institution of slavery in his beloved state of North Carolina (and who heroically aided the underground railroad), was cruelly drafted into the Confederate Army against his will, was financially devastated by the impact of the Civil War on his life and business, and eventually started a tobacco business that morphed into the fabuously wealthy Duke Tobacco Company. Indeed, Washington Duke was a regular Horatio Alger story. The second part of the book is about the controversy surrounding the suspicious death of his aunt Doris Duke. The author is a lawyer who is very proud of his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and his Juris Doctor from Washington University School of Law, as well as the fourth-degree black belt conferred on him by the World Tae Kwon Do Federation in Seoul Korea. He is also well known in legal circles as an author of five books and dozens of articles, mostly about the law. Thanks in part to the heroic efforts of his ancestor Washington Duke, the institution of slavery was ended in America more than 150 years ago. Only eternal vigilance will prevent this evil institution from reappearing in our nation.. Hard Cover. VG to Fine/VG to Fine. Human Slavery and Wealth.