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William Henderson Franklin

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Rev.
William Henderson Franklin
1st Principal of Swift Memorial College
In office
1883 – May 1926
Personal details
BornApril 14, 1852
Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
DiedOctober 19, 1935
United States
SpouseLaura Crofton (m. 1894–1935; his death)
EducationMaryville College (AM), Lane Theological Seminary (DD)
OccupationEducator, minister, journalist, school founder, academic administrator

Rev. William Henderson Franklin (1852–1935) was an American educator, minister, journalist, and school founder.[1][2][3] Franklin dedicated his life to the education of Black children in rural Tennessee during the time of racial segregation.[4] He founded Swift Memorial College in 1883, and served as the principal until 1926.[5] He was the first minister the congregation at St. Marks Presbyterian Church in Rogersville, Tennessee.[6] He was also known as W.H. Franklin.[3]

Early life and education[edit]

William Henderson Franklin was born on April 14, 1852, in Knoxville, Tennessee, to free Black parents Elizabeth (née Bates) and Henderson Franklin.[1][2] He attended schools in Knoxville, before heading to Hudsonville, Mississippi to earn money teaching.[2]

Franklin attended Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee, and was the first African American to graduate with a A.M. degree in 1880.[7][8] He continued his studies at Lane Theological Seminary in Walnut Hills, Ohio, and graduated with a D.D. degree in 1883.[2][7]

Career[edit]

Franklin was the minister of the congregation of St. Marks Presbyterian Church in Rogersville, Tennessee, where he served from 1883 until his retirement in 1926.[1][6]

Franklin was ordained by the Union Presbytery Synod of Tennessee shortly after graduating from Lane.[2] In 1883, Franklin founded the Swift Memorial Institute (later known as Swift Memorial College) in Rogersville, Tennessee, with financial help from Maryville College.[9] He acted as the principal from the time of the school's opening until 1926.[5]

He was also a journalist, and regularly wrote for The Tennessee Star, The Herald Presbytery, and The Critic.[2] Additionally he acted as a correspondent for The New York Age, and the Negro World.[3]

Death and legacy[edit]

Franklin died on October 19, 1935. He is buried at Saint Mark's Presbyterian Cemetery in Rogersville.

A profile of him is included in the books The Afro-American Press and Its Editors (1891), and An Encyclopedia: Experiences of Black People in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1844–1974 (2017) by Robert J. Booker.[10] The Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA) placed Franklin in the Hall of Fame in 2020.[4] The town of Rogersville has a historical marker in his honor on West Kyle Street.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Franklin, William Henderson". Who's Who in Colored America. Who's Who in Colored America Corporation. 1927. p. 65 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Smith, Jessie Carney (2012-12-01). Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events. Visible Ink Press. p. 367. ISBN 978-1-57859-425-2 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c Penn, Irvine Garland (1891). The Afro-American Press and Its Editors. unknown library. Springfield, Mass.: Willey & Co. pp. 347–348 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ a b "TICUA Hall of Fame Spotlight: William Henderson Franklin". Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA). Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  5. ^ a b Lovett, Bobby L. (October 8, 2017). "Swift Memorial College". Tennessee Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  6. ^ a b "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: St. Marks Presbyterian Church" (PDF). Tennessee Historical Commission. November 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 26, 2006.
  7. ^ a b Herringshaw, Thomas William (1907). Herringshaw's American Statesman and Public Official Year-book. American Publishers' Association. p. 233 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ Presbyterian Historical Society (1898). Church at Home and Abroad, The (July–Dec. 1898). Philadelphia, PA: Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work. p. 143 – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ Lovett, Bobby L. (October 8, 2017). "Swift Memorial College". Tennessee Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  10. ^ Booker, Robert J. "Bob Booker: New book traces black experience in Knoxville". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  11. ^ "Dr. William Henderson Franklin Historical Marker". Historical Marker Database (HMDB). Retrieved 2024-05-31.
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