Help Desk Number:
(404) 978-2052
John Hope Records
1897-1953
49.6 linear feet
John Hope (b.1868 d. 1936) was a nationally recognized educator and leader in race relations. He served as the fifth President of Atlanta University from 1929 until his death in 1936. He began his career in education in 1898, teaching at Atlanta Baptist College (now Morehouse College). He was elected President of the College in 1906, a position he held for 25 years until 1931. John Hope was the first African American to serve as President of Morehouse College and Atlanta University. In 1929, with the establishment of the cooperative plan among Atlanta University, Morehouse and Spelman Colleges, Hope was unanimously selected as the first head of the system. Under the cooperative plan Atlanta University maintained the curriculum for graduate and professional schools, while Morehouse and Spelman Colleges handled the undergraduate programs.
The John Hope Records are comprised primarily of administrative files from his eight years as President of Atlanta University. Included are financial papers, course descriptions, news releases, reports, speeches, and statistical data documenting the academic departments, fund-raising efforts, and development of the buildings and grounds. Some materials relate to Spelman and Morehouse Colleges. There are also personal papers that include biographical sketches, photographs, family correspondence and information about the numerous civic and community organizations in which Hope and his wife Lugenia participated.
Related collection:
Atlanta University Presidential Records, 1856-1984
Commission on Interracial Cooperation
John and Lugenia Burns Hope Papers
Neighborhood Union Collection