John Hope (educator)
Encyclopedia
John Hope born in Augusta, Georgia
, was an African-American educator and political activist. He was the son of James Hope, a white Scottish
merchant, born in Langholm
, Scotland
in 1805. Arriving in New York City
in 1817, he was a successful grocer
in Manhattan
before moving south to Augusta in 1831. John's mother was Mary Frances Taylor, who was free-born; her mother had secured their freedom well before the Civil War. Hope could have passed
for white, but he was proud of his black heritage and identified with the black community.
Hope graduated from Worcester Academy
in 1890 and then from Brown University
in 1894. He went on to teach at Roger Williams University (Nashville, Tennessee)
. On December 29, 1897 he married the former Lugenia D. Burns
, who would become a well-known social reformer. In 1898, he became professor of Classics
at Atlanta Baptist College, (now Morehouse College
), a historically black college.
Hope joined W. E. B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter
as founders of the Niagara Movement
. He was also active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
and was considered a race leader.
Hope served as a YMCA
secretary with black soldiers in France
from 1918 until 1919. He organized the southern-based Commission on Interracial Cooperation
, of which he became the first president.
In 1906 Hope was unanimously chosen to be president of Atlanta Baptist College
, the first black to be selected. In 1913 it was renamed to Morehouse College
. Hope remained president until his death in 1936. In 1928, Morehouse and Spelman College
became affiliated with Atlanta University
, also a historically black college. At Atlanta University, Hope concentrated on building the program for graduate studies to ensure high achieving black scholars a place.
In 1932, Hope received an LL.D. from Bates College
.
Hope was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
fraternity. He was the Convention Speaker for the fraternity's Silver Anniversary
convention in Nashville, Tennessee
.
Hope's great-great-granddaughter Leah Hope is a GA reporter for WLS-TV
in Chicago
.
There is also a school named in his honor called John Hope College Preparatory High School, located at 5515 S. Lowe, on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois.
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
, was an African-American educator and political activist. He was the son of James Hope, a white Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
merchant, born in Langholm
Langholm
Langholm , also known colloquially as the "Muckle Toon", is a burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the River Esk and the A7 road.- History:...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1805. Arriving in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1817, he was a successful grocer
Grocer
A grocer is a bulk seller of food. Beginning as early as the 14th century, a grocer was a dealer in comestible dry goods such as spices, pepper, sugar, and cocoa, tea and coffee...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
before moving south to Augusta in 1831. John's mother was Mary Frances Taylor, who was free-born; her mother had secured their freedom well before the Civil War. Hope could have passed
Passing (racial identity)
Racial passing refers to a person classified as a member of one racial group attempting to be accepted as a member of a different racial group...
for white, but he was proud of his black heritage and identified with the black community.
Hope graduated from Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy is an independent coeducational preparatory school spread over in Worcester, Massachusetts in the United States. The school is divided into a middle school, serving approximately 150 students in grades six to eight, and an upper school, serving approximately 500 students in...
in 1890 and then from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in 1894. He went on to teach at Roger Williams University (Nashville, Tennessee)
Roger Williams University (Nashville, Tennessee)
Roger Williams University in Nashville, Tennessee was an historically black institution of higher learning. It was created in 1866 as an educational facility for newly freed slaves. It was affiliated with the American Baptist denomination. It was closed in 1929 was involved in mergers that...
. On December 29, 1897 he married the former Lugenia D. Burns
Lugenia Burns Hope
Lugenia Burns Hope, née Burns was a social reformer whose Neighborhood Union and other community service organizations improved the quality of life for blacks in Atlanta, Georgia, and served as a model for the future Civil Rights Movement.Throughout her youth, Lugenia Hope worked for various...
, who would become a well-known social reformer. In 1898, he became professor of Classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
at Atlanta Baptist College, (now Morehouse College
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
), a historically black college.
Hope joined W. E. B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter
William Monroe Trotter
William Monroe Trotter was a newspaper editor and real estate business man, and an activist for African-American civil rights. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Harvard University, and was the first man of color to earn a Phi Beta Kappa key...
as founders of the Niagara Movement
Niagara Movement
The Niagara Movement was a black civil rights organization founded in 1905 by a group led by W. E. B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter. It was named for the "mighty current" of change the group wanted to effect and Niagara Falls, the Canadian side of which was where the first meeting took...
. He was also active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
and was considered a race leader.
Hope served as a YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
secretary with black soldiers in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
from 1918 until 1919. He organized the southern-based Commission on Interracial Cooperation
Commission on Interracial Cooperation
The Commission on Interracial Cooperation was formed in the U.S. South in 1919 in the aftermath of violent race riots that occurred the previous year in several southern cities. The organization worked to oppose lynching, mob violence, and peonage and to educate white southerners concerning the...
, of which he became the first president.
In 1906 Hope was unanimously chosen to be president of Atlanta Baptist College
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
, the first black to be selected. In 1913 it was renamed to Morehouse College
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
. Hope remained president until his death in 1936. In 1928, Morehouse and Spelman College
Spelman College
Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female...
became affiliated with Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University is a private, historically black university in Atlanta, Georgia. It was formed in 1988 with the consolidation of Clark College and Atlanta University...
, also a historically black college. At Atlanta University, Hope concentrated on building the program for graduate studies to ensure high achieving black scholars a place.
In 1932, Hope received an LL.D. from Bates College
Bates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
.
Hope was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
fraternity. He was the Convention Speaker for the fraternity's Silver Anniversary
Silver Jubilee
A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark...
convention in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
Hope's great-great-granddaughter Leah Hope is a GA reporter for WLS-TV
WLS-TV
WLS-TV, virtual channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The station operates their full power digital operations on UHF channel 44, with their digital fill-in translator on VHF channel...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
There is also a school named in his honor called John Hope College Preparatory High School, located at 5515 S. Lowe, on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois.