Booker T. Washington (đđ¨đŤđ§ April 5, 1856, Franklin county, Virginia, U.S.âdied November 14, 1915, Tuskegee, Alabama) was an educator and reformer, the first president and principal developer of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now Tuskegee University), and the most influential spokesman for Black Americans between 1895 and 1915.
Most Blacks felt comfortable with Washingtonâs approach, however, and his influence among whites was such that he became an unofficial arbiter determining which Black individuals and institutions were deemed worthy to benefit from government patronage and white philanthropic support. He went on to receive honorary degrees from Harvard University (1896) and Dartmouth College (1901). Among his dozen books is his autobiography, Up from Slavery (1901), translated into many languages.
