Garnet C. Wilkinson

Garnet C. Wilkinson
Born January 10, 1879(1879-01-10)
Summerville, South Carolina, United States
Died June 15, 1969(1969-06-15) (aged 90)
Washington, DC, United States
Alma mater Oberlin College (1902)
Howard University (Bachelor of Laws, 1908)
Occupation Educator and School Administrator
Spouse Blanche E. Colder (married 1905)
Caroline Manns (married 1948)

Garnet Crummell Wilkinson (January 10, 1879 – June 15, 1969)[1][2] was an American educator best known for running the African American public school system in Washington, DC during segregation.[3] At the time Washington, DC had the reputation of having the best public schools in the nation for African Americans.[4]

Contents

Biography

Born in Summerville, South Carolina, Wilkinson was the fourth child of James W. Wilkinson, a farmer by his wife, Grace.[5] In 1902, he graduated from Oberlin College.[6] That year he moved to Washington, DC, where he immediately began teaching in the public schools. On May 26, 1908, Howard University conferred the degree of Bachelor of Laws upon him. In 1916, he was appointed principal of Dunbar High School in Washington, DC, where he served until 1921. He then became first assistant superintendent in charge of the colored schools in Washington, DC. Wilkinson served in that capacity until 1954, when he became an assistant superintendent within the integrated system.[2][3][6][7][8][9]

Wilkinson lived in the LeDroit Park section of Washington, DC.[9] He died on June 15, 1969 at the age of ninety.[1]

Legacy

Wilkinson Elementary School and the Garnet C. Wilkinson Public Library, both in Washington, DC, are named after him.

References

  1. ^ a b "Social Security Death Index [database on-line"]. United States: The Generations Network. 2010. http://www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2010-04-25. 
  2. ^ a b "World War I Draft Registration Cards [database on-line"]. United States: The Generations Network. 1917-1918. http://www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2010-04-25. 
  3. ^ a b Allison, Madeline G. (February 1922) Du Bois, W.E. Burghardt ed. "The Horizon" Crisis (New York, New York: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) 23 (4) 
  4. ^ Kerr, Audrey Elisa (2006). The paper bag principle : class, colorism, and rumor and the case of Black Washington, D.C. (1st Edition). Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press. 
  5. ^ Tenth Census of the United States Enumeration District 105, Summerville Township, Colleton County, South Carolina: National Archives and Records Administration June 28, 1880 p. 46B 
  6. ^ a b Lord, Louis E.; Martin, Helen White, eds. (October 1908) "Alumni news" Oberlin Alumni Magazine (Oberlin, Ohio: Tribune Press) 5 (1) 
  7. ^ Patterson, Homer L., ed. (1932) "Washington, DC" Patterson's American Educational Directory (Chicago, Illinois: American Educational Company) 29: 67–70 
  8. ^ Hundley, Mary Gibson (1965). The Dunbar story, 1870-1955. New York, New York: Vantage Press. 
  9. ^ a b Jackson, Lauretta (1973). "Neighborhood History". Washington, DC: LeDroit Park Civic Association. http://www.ledroitparkdc.org/history.html. Retrieved 2010-10-22. 

External links