Request Material
Benjamin Franklin Hubert collection
Descriptive Summary | |
| Title: Benjamin Franklin Hubert collection | |
| Creator: Unknown | |
| Inclusive Dates: 1915-1986 | |
| Language(s): English | |
| Extent: 4.5 Linear Feet 9 boxes | |
| Collection Number: ms2926 | |
| Repository: Hargrett Library | |
Collection Description
Historical Note
An educator and advocate for fellow African Americans, Benjamin Franklin Hubert (1884-1958) was born in Springfield, Georgia. Like his brothers John Wesley, Zachary Taylor, Gaddus Johnson and James Henry before him, Benjamin attended Morehouse College, in Atlanta, Georgia. He did graduate work at Amherst Agricultural College and the University of Minnesota.
Upon leaving the University of Minnesota, Hubert spent several years at South Carolina State College, Orangeburg, South Carolina, as Director of Agriculture and Agriculture Extension; and supervisor of Vocational Teacher Training work. During World War I, he served as a special agent for the American Army Corp as Director of Agricultual Instruction among black soldiers in France.
After World War I, Benjamin served as the Chairman of the Department of Agriculture at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. In 1926, he became President of Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth, renamed Georgia State College in 1932 (now known as Savannah State College). Hubert remained there in Savannah, Georgia, from 1926 until his retirement in 1947.
Upon retirement, Benjamin returned to his beloved Hancock County, where he devoted his time and energy to managing his huge farm, which comprised of more than one thousand acres; and raising a herd of cattle which consisted of several hundred Herefords. He also supervised operation of the Log Cabin Center, a project which he and his brothers founded.
Education and land were the stimuli of Benjamin Hubert's life. He was always comfortable and confident when discussing either subject. He never married, but was the "father" to many children whom he helped to educate by finding jobs for them or giving the work while they were attending college at Georgia State College. He employed many of them out of his personal funds.
Bejamin Franklin Hubert died at Springfield, Hancock County, Georgia in 1958.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of the correspondence, personal papers, speeches, agricultural material, financial and business documents of Benjamin Franklin Hubert during his 1926-1947 tenure as President of Georgia State College (later Savannah State College), an agricultural college for African Americans in Savannah, Georgia. Some additional documentation is included for Hubert's time as Director of Agriculture and Agriculture Extension at the South Carolina State College; no documentation is available for his time at the Tuskegee Institute, however. Photos, clippings, and ephemera related to the Hubert and the Log Cabin Center are included as well. The correspondence in the collection predominately composed of correspondence between Hubert and his various donors, who provided advice and suggestions for the direction and programs at the Log Cabin Center. Notable donors/supporters included are Eleanor Roosevelt, George Foster Peabody, and Caroline Hazard. There is also some detailed correspondence between Hubert and his sharecroppers, the African-American community, and staff at the college. Benjamin Hubert's personal papers consist of some certificates, Hubert's court cases, recommendations for Hubert, and essays/speeches (most of which concern the history of future of the African-American citizen). The agricultural materials mostly relate to Hubert's work regarding the Association for the Advancement of Negro Country Life and their farming goals for African-American citizens. The financial documents encompass insurance policies; bills from personal expenses, running the college, the Log Cabin Center; and expenses from Hubert's sharecroppers.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Benjamin F. Hubert papers, ms2926, Hargrett Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, University of Georgia Libraries.