Green Polonius Hamilton (1867–1932) was an American educator, principal, and author who was prominent in the

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

community of

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. Hamilton was born in Memphis and graduated from LeMoyne Normal Institute in 1882. He taught and then continued his education at

Rust College Rust College is a private historically black college in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Founded in 1866, it is the second-oldest private college in the state. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, it is one of ten historically black colleges ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

before becoming principal at the first Memphis high school for African Americans, Kortrecht School. He was married to Alice Richmond Hamilton. He chronicled Memphis' African American community at the start of the 20th century in his books ''Bright Side of Memphis'' (1908) and ''Beacons of the Race'' (1911). Hamilton High School, Hamilton Middle School, and Hamilton Elementary School in Memphis are named for him.

Bibliography

*''The Bright Side of Memphis: A Compendium of Information Concerning the Colored People of Memphis, Tennessee, Showing Their Achievements in Business, Industrial and Professional Life and Including Articles of General Interest on the Race'' (1908) *''Beacon Lights of the Race'', F. H. Clarke and Bros., Memphis (1911)

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