Edythe J. Gaines (September 6, 1922 – March 23, 2006) was an American educator. She was the first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

and first woman to serve as a school superintendent in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

. She was inducted into the

Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame The Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame (CWHF) recognizes women natives or residents of the U.S. state of Connecticut for their significant achievements or statewide contributions. The CWHF had its beginnings in 1993 when a group of volunteers partn ...

in 1996.

Early life and education

Edythe Pauline Jones was born in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1922, the daughter of Jacob Jones, an Episcopal clergyman, and teacher Jennie Dillard Jones. She was raised in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

after her father's death. Jones attended Hunter College as an undergraduate, earning her bachelor's degree in history and political science in 1944. She pursued further study at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

, earning a master's degree in 1947, and much later an Ed.D. from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1969."Edythe J. Gaines"
Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame.

Career

Gaines taught in the New York City public schools. In 1964, she became the second African American principal at a school in the district, and first to head a secondary school. She became an assistant superintendent of schools in 1967, and in 1973 the New York Board of Education appointed Gaines as Executive Director of the Office of Educational Planning and Support.Margalit Fox

''New York Times'' (April 1, 2006). In 1972, her brother Frederick D. Jones, New York City regional director of the NAACP and founder of Edu-Force, a grading and testing service, was killed in his

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

apartment. There was an investigation of Gaines' involvement with her late brother's testing service, but she was cleared of any ulterior motives. From 1975 to 1978, Gaines served as superintendent of the

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

city public schools, the first African American to hold that position, and the first woman to be a superintendent in a Connecticut school district. During her superintendency, she was also elected to be a director of the Hartford National Bank and Trust. She was listed among the "Highest Paid Black Public Officials" by ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...

'' magazine in 1978. In 1979, Gaines joined Connecticut's State Department of Public Utility Control as a commissioner. She was named to the Board of Governors of Higher Education in 1992, and to the Connecticut State Board of Education in 1995. She was a trustee of

Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public university in New ...

from 1968 to 1975. She was inducted into the

in 1996.

Personal life

Edythe Jones married Albert Denis Gaines, an engineer, in 1941. They had two sons together. Albert Gaines died in 1995. Gaines remained active in the Episcopal church during her adult life, as chair of the Commission on Ministry for the

Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut (also known as The Episcopal Church in Connecticut) is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the entire state of Connecticut. It is one of the nine original dioceses ...

, and as the head of St. Monica's Development Corporation's Second Century Plan for elderly housing in the city. She died in 2006, at age 83, in Hartford, Connecticut. An Edythe J. Gaines Award for Inclusive Education is given annually by the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.CHRO 2015 Leaders and Legends Awards.
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaines, Edythe J. 1922 births 2006 deaths Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni New York University alumni Hunter College alumni American academic administrators 20th-century American academics