Wilson-Guilford County NcArchives Biographies.....Gold Jr., Pleasant Daniel ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Connie Ardrey n/a July 14, 2014, 4:12 pm Source: Prominent People of North Carolina Author: Prominent People of North Carolina Pleasant Daniel Gold Jr. Although a native North Carolinian, when he reached his majority, P. D. Gold Jr., left the state to seek his fortunes among strangers. Through a strange coincidence his future course was changed to the scenes of his boyhood home, and the corporations with which he was employed sent him back to his native state to exert his efforts to build up the old commonwealth. He was born at Wilson, NC, May 13, 1876. His father is P. D. Gold, a Baptist minister and editor of Zion’s Landmark. His mother before her marriage was Miss Julia Pipkin, a daughter of Willis Pipkin, at that time a large planter of Lenoir County, NC. He received his education in the high schools of Wilson and entered the University of North Carolina in 1893. He taught school from 1894 to 1895 to obtain funds to continue his education. He re-entered the University in 1895, and graduated with class of 1898 as B. A., taking representative medal for oratory. During his senior year he wrote a history of state banking, a sketch of which won the North Carolina Historical prize. After leaving Chapel Hill he went to Richmond, VA, obtained a position with Bradstreet’s Mercantile Agency, and took a law course in the afternoon school at Richmond College. At the end of the session he was forced to abandon his law studies on account of a promotion which he received which carried him to the Baltimore office of the Bradstreet Agency. In the latter part of 1899 he was sent to Greensboro to open up a branch office of the Bradstreet Company and became its first manager at that point, a position which he held continuously until July, 1902, when he resigned to become superintendent of agents for J. Sterling Jones, general agent of the Provident Savings Life Assurance Society of North Carolina. After a few months, together with Dr. Dred Peacock, he purchased the business of J. S. Jones, and organized the firm of Peacock & Gold. In January, 1904, with his brother, C. W. Gold, of Wilson, NC, he purchased the interests of Dr. Peacock and continued the name of Peacock & Gold Company, acting as president and manager. In August, 1905, the name of the corporation was changed to Gold & Gold Inc. This firm has entire control of North and South Carolina, and part of East Tennessee as general agents of the Provident Savings Life Assurance Society. Under his management the company’s business has increased each year nearly three times as a large as formerly. He is also secretary of the Life Underwriters Association of North Carolina, treasurer of the Chamber of Commerce of Greensboro, chairman of the executive committee of the North Carolina State Audubon Society, director of the North State Fire Insurance Company, and interested in several other enterprises in Greensboro. He was married in May, 1901, to Miss Elizabeth Balsley, daughter of W. G. Balsley, a merchant of Greensboro, and is the father of one son, P. D. Gold Jr., Jr. (sic) He is Past Exalted Ruler of the Elks of Greensboro, vice-president of the Elks Club, a member of the election committee of the Merchants and Manufacturers Club, and has served on the Board of Governors of that organization. He was president of the Business Men’s Association at Greensboro from its organization until it was merged into the Chamber of Commerce, January, 1905. During his six years residence in Greensboro, he has been active in public work, taking a prominent part in the upbuilding of the Gate City. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/wilson/bios/goldjr206bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/ncfiles/ File size: 4.1 Kb