Green Pinckney Russell

Green Pinckney Russell
Born(1861-12-25)December 25, 1861
Logan County, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedOctober 18, 1936(1936-10-18) (aged 74)
Waukegan, Illinois, U.S.
Burial placeCove Haven Cemetery, Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Alma materBerea College
Wilberforce University
Occupation(s)College president, school district supervisor, principal, teacher
Known forFormer two-term president of Kentucky State Industrial College for Colored Persons
SpouseLida E. Willis[1]
Children2[1]

Green Pinckney Russell (1861/1863–1939),[2][1] was an American teacher, principal, school district supervisor, and college president. He was the first licensed African-American teacher in Lexington, Kentucky.[3] Russell was the first "Supervisor of Negro Schools" in Lexington, and he served two-terms as president of Kentucky State Industrial College for Colored Persons (now Kentucky State University).

Biography

1915 Exposition Commission, in front of Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky. Fourth from left is Green Pinckney Russell, others include Thomas Wendell, Anne Butler, and Dr. Edward E. Underwood
Exposition Commission in front of the Kentucky State Capitol, 1915. Fourth from left in the second row is Russell; others include Thomas Wendell, Anne Butler, and Dr. Edward E. Underwood

Green Pinckney Russell was born on December 25 in either 1861 or 1863 in Logan County, Kentucky.[2][1] He attended public schools in Russellville, Kentucky,[1] and went on to graduate from Berea College (1885), and Wilberforce University (1913).[3]

He was the principal of "Colored School No. 1." (later known as Russell School) in Lexington, Kentucky.[1] In 1895, Colored School No. 1, was renamed the Russell School by the mayor H. C. Duncan of Lexington.[4]

Russell was the first "Supervisor of Negro Schools" in Lexington from 1896 to 1912.[3] He was twice president of Kentucky State Industrial College for Colored Persons (now Kentucky State University) from 1912 to 1923, and from 1924 to 1929.[5][6][7]

Russell lived in Frankfort, Kentucky, for many years.[1] He died on October 18, 1936, in Waukegan, Illinois, and is buried at Cove Haven Cemetery (formerly Greenwood Cemetery) in Lexington.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Mather, Frank Lincoln (1915). Who's Who of the Colored Race: A General Biographical Dictionary of Men and Women of African Descent; Vol. 1. p. 236.
  2. ^ a b Hardin, John A. (1995). "Green Pinckney Russell of Kentucky Normal and Industrial Institute for Colored Persons". Journal of Black Studies. 25 (5): 610–621. doi:10.1177/002193479502500506. ISSN 0021-9347. JSTOR 2784634. S2CID 143448048.
  3. ^ a b c "Russell, Green Pinckney". Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (NKAA), University of Kentucky Libraries, University of Kentucky.
  4. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Russell School". National Park Service. April 5, 2006. Retrieved February 7, 2023. With accompanying pictures
  5. ^ Ohles, John F.; Ohles, Shirley M. (1986). Public Colleges and Universities. Greenwood Press. p. 313. ISBN 978-0-313-23257-2.
  6. ^ Hardin, John A. (April 1, 2021). The Pursuit of Excellence: Kentucky State University, 1886-2020. IAP. pp. 18–19. ISBN 978-1-64802-395-8.
  7. ^ A History of Blacks in Kentucky: In pursuit of equality, 1890-1980. University Press of Kentucky. January 1, 1992. pp. 129–130. ISBN 978-0-916968-21-2.
  8. ^ Smith, Gerald L.; McDaniel, Karen Cotton; Hardin, John A. (August 28, 2015). The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 1027–1028. ISBN 978-0-8131-6067-2.