A Free Man of Color and His HotelA Free Man of Color and His Hotel weaves the story of a uniquely successful black businessman into the burgeoning postCivil War political struggle that pitted the federal government against the states desire to remain autonomous. Born in Washington, D. C., James Wormley worked as a hacker in his fathers livery stable there and as a steward on Mississippi River steamboats before establishing his own catering and boardinghouse businesses. During a