John Houston Burrus
John Houston Burrus | |
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educator | |
Political party | Republican |
Signature | |
John Houston Burrus (February 22, 1849 – March 27, 1917) was an educator in Nashville, Tennessee and Lorman, Mississippi. He was a member of the first class of students at Fisk University in Nashville and when that class graduated became among the first group of African-Americans to graduate from a liberal arts college south of the Mason–Dixon line. He was a professor of mathematics at Fisk and in 1883 became the second president of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College, a position he held until 1893.
Early life
John Houston Burrus was born February 22, 1849, to William C. J. Burrus and his slave, Nancy, near
At the end of the War, Burrus, was with his two brothers, mother, and
Career
After graduation, Burrus became a teacher at a school in the suburbs of Nashville and was quickly promoted to principal. In 1876 he was selected by the Republican State committee as a delegate to the
Alcorn A&M
In August 1883 he was offered the presidency of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College in Lorman, Mississippi, following
Later life and death
After leaving Alcorn, he continued to be active in education. In 1903, he wrote to the Nashville American again criticizing inequal treatment of blacks when federal moneys given to Tennessee under the Morrill Acts were dispersed.
References
- ^ The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. I. James T. White & Company. 1893. p. 278. Retrieved April 13, 2021 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Death of Prof J. H. Burrus",The Nashville Globe (Nashville, Tennessee), March 30, 1917, page 4, accessed September 23, 2016.
- ^ a b c Johnson, Rossiter, and John Howard Brown, eds. The twentieth century biographical dictionary of notable Americans. Vol. II. Biographical Society, 1904.
- ^ "Correspondence", The Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee) October 18, 1843, page 2, accessed April 13, 2021 via Newspapers.com
- ^ a b c d e Richardson, Joe M. (1965). "A negro success story: James Dallas Burrus." The Journal of Negro History. 50(4): 274–282.
- ^ a b c d e f Simmons, William J., and Henry McNeal Turner. Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. GM Rewell & Company, 1887. pp. 281–285
- ^ "Closing Exercises at Fisk University", The Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee) May 24, 1878, page 4, accessed September 23, 2016 via Newspapers.com
- ^ Lovett, Bobby L. The African-american History of Nashville, Tn: 1780–1930 (p). University of Arkansas Press. p. 117
- ^ a b Lamon, Lester C. "The Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial Normal School: Public Higher Education for Black Tennesseans." Tennessee Historical Quarterly 32, no. 1 (1973): 42–58.
- ^ "Opening Day". The Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee) June 17, 1889, page 10, accessed September 23, 2016 via Newspapers.com
- ^ "One of First Fisk Graduates Passes Away". The Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee) April 1, 1917 page 14, accessed September 23, 2016 via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Death Notices", The Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee) March 28, 1917, page 7, accessed September 23, 2016 via Newspapers.com