David Abner Jr.
David Abner Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Abner in 1887 | |
| Born | November 25, 1860 Upshur County, Texas, US |
| Died | August 21, 1928 (aged 67) Houston, Texas, US |
| Occupation(s) | Educator, journalist |
| Spouse | Ella M. Wheeler (1877–1950) |
| Children | 2 |
| Personal | |
| Religion | Baptist |
David Abner Jr. (November 25, 1860 – July 21, 1928) was an American educator. He was the first president of Guadalupe College and then of Conroe College.
Early life
[edit]David Abner Jr. was born November 25, 1860, in Upshur County, Texas, the son of David Abner and Louisa Abner. His family was enslaved until emancipation, but his father would become a delegate to the state constitutional convention and state legislature. In 1870 they moved to Marshall, Texas, where Abner attended Wiley University. He then enrolled in Straight University in New Orleans. In 1877 he enrolled at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1881 he enrolled at Bishop College, where he graduated in 1884,[1] becoming the first African American to graduate from a Texas school of higher education.[2] He then became a professor at the school. He was a delegate to the National Convention of Colored men (part of the Colored Conventions Movement) in September 1883; in 1884 he became the corresponding secretary of the Baptist State Convention of Texas. He also edited the convention's paper, known as the Baptist Journal and later as the Baptist Pilot.[1]
College president
[edit]In 1884, Guadalupe College was founded, primarily through the efforts of William B. Ball, who would later serve as president. The school opened in 1887, and Abner was made the first president of the school, a position he served until 1905,[2] when he was forcibly removed due to opposition within the Baptist church leadership. The denomination opened a new (third) convention in the state and created a new college, Conroe College.[3] Thereupon, in 1906, Abner was elected the first president of Conroe College.[4]
Personal life
[edit]Abner married Ella M. Wheeler (1877–1950),[5] with whom he had two children. He died on August 21, 1928, in Houston, Texas.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Simmons, William J; Turner, Henry McNeal (1887). "CLXIII. Professor David Abner, Jr.". Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. Cleveland, OH: George M. Rewell & Company. pp. 1119–1121. OCLC 06293247.
- ^ a b Glasrud, Bruce A. (April 13, 2011). Glasrud, Bruce A. (ed.). African Americans in South Texas History. Texas A&M University Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-1603442282.
- ^ "Harmony Among Negro Baptists". Galveston Daily News. September 20, 1910. p. 9. Retrieved February 8, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Conroe Negro College. David Abner, Jr., Has Been Elected President". Houston Post. September 29, 1906. p. 7. Retrieved February 8, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Abner, Mrs. Ella May". College Park Cemetery Association. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ "Abner, Professor David". College Park Cemetery Association. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
External links
[edit]- "Conroe Normal and Industrial College". Negro Education: A Study of the Private and Higher Schools for Colored People in the United States. Vol. 2. 1917. pp. 602–603.
- 1860 births
- 1928 deaths
- 19th-century African-American educators
- 19th-century American educators
- African-American journalists
- American male journalists
- Bishop College alumni
- Educators from Texas
- Fisk University alumni
- People from Upshur County, Texas
- Straight University alumni
- Wiley University alumni
- 20th-century African-American educators
- 20th-century American educators