Charles Henry Chapman (Alpha Phi Alpha co-founder)
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Charles Henry Chapman (June 20, 1876 – November 17, 1934) was an American academic and one of the founders of
Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved int ...
, the first Greek letter fraternity for African American men. He is known for advancing agricultural education and fraternal organizations.


Early life

Chapman was born in
Cayuga County, New York Cayuga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,248. Its county seat and largest city is Auburn. The county was named for the Cayuga people, one of the Indian tribes in the Iroquois Conf ...
. By 1880, he lived in
Ontario, New York Ontario is a town in the northwest corner of Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 9,778 at the 2000 census, and 10,136 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the Great Lake on its northern border. The town has a ha ...
with his maternal grandfather, George Thompson, He attended
Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...
around 1900. He enrolled at
Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
in 1905 and studied agriculture. While attending Cornell, he owned a cafe and a small brickyard. Chapman also attended Hampton Instutute and, later, attended
Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
.


Alpha Phi Alpha

While attending Cornell, Chapman was one of the seven founders of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity on December 4, 1906. The founders are commonly referred to as Jewels. During the formation of what became the ''Alpha chapter'', he was the first chairman of the Committees on Initiation and Organization. Chapman gave the Founders Address at the fraternity's 22nd General Convention in December 1929. He said, "There never was a more beautiful episode in my life than the small part I played in the organization of the fraternity in 1906." He helped start the fraternity's ''Beta Nu chapter'' in 1932 while he was teaching at
Florida A&M University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the U ...
. When he died. Chapman became the first Jewel to enter the ''Omega chapter''—a memorial chapter that contains the names of deceased fraternity members.


Career

Chapman entered a career in
higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...
as a professor of agriculture at
Jackson State College Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi in terms of studen ...
and
Alabama A&M University Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (Alabama A&M) is a public historically black land-grant university in Normal, Huntsville, Alabama. Founded in 1875, it took its present name in 1969. AAMU is a member-school of the Thurgood Marsha ...
. He began teaching at what is now
Florida A&M University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the U ...
(FAMU) in 1923, becoming chair of the agriculture department in 1924. He expanded the FAMU curriculumn to include animal husbandry. He also developed herds of prize dairy cows. He remained at FAMU until his death.


Honors

* In 1952, Governor
Fuller Warren Fuller Warren (October 3, 1905September 23, 1973) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 30th governor of Florida. Early life and education Born in Blountstown, Florida, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesvil ...
dedicated a new dairy facility at Florida A&M University in Chapman's honor. * The Beta Phi Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha established the Charles Henry Chapman Memorial Garden, a community garden, in his honor.


Personal life

Chapman married Esther, a dietician with the
Cleveland Public School District Cleveland Metropolitan School District, formerly the Cleveland Municipal School District, is a public school district in the U.S. state of Ohio that serves almost all of the city of Cleveland. The district covers 79 square miles. The Cleveland ...
in Ohio. The couple lived in Cleveland, Ohio. When he secured teaching positions in the South, Esther remained in Cleveland where Chapman would visit her. In 1934 following two weeks of illness, Chapman died in the Florida A&M hospital from
nephritis Nephritis is inflammation of the kidneys and may involve the glomeruli, tubules, or interstitial tissue surrounding the glomeruli and tubules. It is one of several different types of nephropathy. Types * Glomerulonephritis is inflammation of th ...
at the age of 64. He was buried near Florida A&M. On November 22, funeral services were held in the university's auditorium with noticeable a Alpha Phi Alpha presence. He was buried in Oakland Cemetery in Tallahasee, Florida.


References


Further reading

* *


External links


Alpha Phi Alpha websiteCharles Henry Chaptman, Find-a-Grave
1934 deaths Alpha Phi Alpha founders Cornell University alumni Place of birth missing Place of death missing 1876 births {{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Charles Henry 19th-century American academics 20th-century American academics Howard University alumni Ohio State University alumni Jackson State University faculty Alabama A&M University faculty