Overview

John Hope was dedicated to advancing the lives of African-Americans through higher education. As the Jim Crow Era picked up steam in the South, Hope rose through the ranks of higher education at several institutions catering to African-American students.  

Key Accomplishments

• First African-American president of Atlanta Baptist College, which later became Morehouse College.
• First African-American president of Atlanta University.

• Executive Committee member of the National Urban League.
• Founder of the Commission on Interracial Cooperation.  
• Received an LLD from Bates College in 1932.
• Recipient of the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal in 1936.

Early Life and Education

Hope was born on August 2, 1868 in Augusta, Ga. His father, James Hope, was originally from Scotland and was an entreprenuer in Georgia. His mother, Mary Frances, was freed before the Emancipation Proclamation. Although Georgia Law prohibited interracial marriage, Hope’s parents lived together for many years.

Not very much is known about Hope’s childhood except that he had no intentions of continuing his education past the eighth grade. However, after meeting Reverend John Dart in 1885, Hope decided to continue his education by attending Worchester Academy in Massachusetts. Following his graduation in 1890, Hope attended Brown University.

Educator

In 1894, Hope graduated from Brown University and accepted a teacing position at Roger Williams University in Nashville.

Four years later, Hope was hired to teach at Atlanta Baptist College, which would later be renamed Morehouse University and some years later, Morehouse College.

In 1906, Hope became the first African-American president of Morehouse College. In 1929, Hope was appointed as president of  Atlanta University, Hope became the institutions president. Hope’s appointment at both Morehouse and Atlanta University were important as it signaled a shift from white administrators presiding over African-American institutions of learning. Under Hope’s tutelage, the student population at Atlanta University grew, prominent African-American scholars were hired and the school’s reputation as an academic institution increased.

Civil Rights Advocate

Hope was a great supporter of higher education for African-Americans. In particular, Hope agreed with the philosophy of Booker T. Washington who believed that vocational education would help African-Americans become self-sufficient in American society.

Yet Hope was also a proponent of civil rights and fighting racial injustice. Hope participated in the second Niagara Movement meeting in 1906. When the group morphed in the Naitonal Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Hope was instrumental in helping the organization expand in throughout the South.

Hope served on the executive committee of the National Urban League.

Hope also served as the YMCA secretary, helping African-American soldiers during World War I. Following his return in 1919, Hope founded the Commission on Interracial Cooperation and was the organization’s first president.

Throughout his life, Hope also supported organizations such as the YMCA, the Atlanta Anti-Tuberculosis Association and the National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools.

Personal Life

While attending the World’s Columbia Exposition in 1893, Hope met Lugenia Burns, a community activist and women’s rights advocate. Four years later the couple married and had two sons, John and Edward.

Death and Legacy

On February 20, 1936, Hope died from pneumonia in Atlanta. He is buried at Clark Atlanta University.
 

Legacy                                        

Right before his death in 1936, Hope was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP. Since then, several schools have been named in Hope’s honor. These schools include John Hope College Preparatory High School in Chicago and Hope-Hill Elementary School in Atlanta.