Walter Clinton Jackson (June 28, 1879August 12, 1959) was an American educator.

Biography

Jackson was born on June 28, 1879, to Albert Leroy Jackson, a farmer, and Jane Granade Jackson, a teacher, in

Hayston, Georgia Hayston is an unincorporated community in Newton County, in the U.S. state of Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United State ...

. After attending public schools there, he graduated from

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 ...

in 1900 with a BS, and was awarded a JD by the same institution in 1926. Jackson found work as a teacher in Georgia but in 1902 moved to

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

, to head the Lindsay Street School there. The following year, he started work at the Greensboro High School, initially teaching English but reaching the post of principal in 1905. Jackson was hired at the

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand-al ...

(UNCG) in 1909. There he led the department of history until 1932, also serving as dean from 1915 and vice president from 1921. In 1932 Jackson left to work at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

where he headed its school of public administration for two years, at which point he left and became head of the

Woman's College of the University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand-al ...

. Jackson remained in that role until 1950, when he retired. He also was involved in and headed several volunteer organizations, including the

Commission on Interracial Cooperation The Commission on Interracial Cooperation (1918–1944) was an organization founded in Atlanta, Georgia, December 18, 1918, and officially incorporated in 1929. Will W. Alexander, pastor of a local white Methodist church, was head of the organizatio ...

(president from 1928 to 1932). Jackson was a trustee of

Bennett College Bennett College is a private historically black liberal arts college for women in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was founded in 1873 as a normal school to educate freedmen and train both men and women as teachers. Originally coed, in 1926 it ...

and a member of educational groups such as the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, ''

The North Carolina Historical Review The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is a cabinet-level department within the state government of North Carolina dedicated to overseeing projects in the arts, culture, and history within the borders of the state. The cur ...

'''s editorial board, and the

Southern Political Science Association The Southern Political Science Association (SPSA) is an American learned society. It promotes political science in the Southern United States. History The Southern Political Science Association was founded in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. It is indepe ...

(president from 1933 to 1934). Jackson published several books and edited ''

An Anthology of Verse by American Negroes ''An Anthology of Verse by American Negroes'' is a 1924 poetry anthology compiled by Newman Ivey White and Walter Clinton Jackson. The anthology is considered one of the major anthologies of black poetry to be published during the Harlem Renaissanc ...

'' (1924) with

Newman Ivey White Newman Ivey White (February 3, 1892 – December 6, 1948) was an American professor of English at Duke University. He was born in Statesville, North Carolina, United States. He was a noted Shelley scholar, as well as a collector of American folkl ...

. He died in Greensboro on August 12, 1959, after having been sick for several months. UNCG's library was named after him the following year. In 1965 he was inducted into the North Carolina Educational Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Jackson married Mattie Redford in 1902; they had three children.

References

{{Reflist 1879 births 1959 deaths Mercer University alumni University of North Carolina at Greensboro faculty