1868-1936
Teacher, College President

Background.

In June 1906 John Hope became the first African American president of Atlanta Baptist College (later renamed Morehouse College), a college for black men. A professor at the institution for eight years, Hope was highly regarded by the white trustees of the college; and as president, he helped build Atlanta Baptist College into one of the most respected black colleges in the United States.

Early Life.

John Hope was born in Augusta, Georgia, on 2 June 1868. His father, James Hope, an immigrant from Scotland, had made a small fortune in Augusta as the owner of one of the South's first cotton mills. John's mother, Fanny, was legally black, although both her father and grandfather were white. John, as the son of Augusta's wealthiest and most distinguished white citizen, spent his early years in luxury and safety. Of this time in Augusta, he later...