A Virginia native, Rev. Moses Gordon was a Methodist minister in numerous Iowa towns. He was in Davenport by 1894 and then held posts in Mount Pleasant, Muscatine, and Ottumwa. On April 10, 1900 he participated in a debate in Iowa City on the question “Is a preacher of more benefit to a community than a doctor?” It was covered in newspapers in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, and Muscatine.

In 1906 Rev. Gordon became a presiding elder for the Des Moines district of the AME Church in Iowa. He preached at churches across the state including Davenport, Buxton, Oralabor, and Sioux City. In the 1910 federal population census he was listed as a resident of Polk County. Rev. Gordon continued to serve in the role of presiding elder until his death in 1915. He is buried in the Ottumwa Cemetery.