Charles W. Cansler facts for kids

Charles Warner Cansler (born May 15, 1871 – died November 1, 1953) was an important American educator, writer, and champion for civil rights. He mostly worked in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.

Charles Cansler was the grandson of William Scott, who was one of the first Black American newspaper publishers. His mother was Knoxville's first Black American teacher. Charles Cansler played a key role in creating schools and learning chances for Black American children in Knoxville during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

His book, Three Generations: The Story of a Colored Family in Eastern Tennessee, written in 1940, is still an important book today. It tells the story of Black life in East Tennessee during the 1800s.

Biography

Early Life and Family

Charles Cansler was born in Maryville, Tennessee, in 1871. His parents were Hugh Lawson Cansler and Laura Scott. Charles's father was born to a slave and the daughter of the plantation owner.

His grandfather, William Scott (1821–1885), moved to Friendsville in 1847. He moved there because Quaker leaders in the town asked him to. Quakers are a religious group known for their peaceful beliefs.

When the Civil War began, the Scotts moved to Knoxville. This city offered better safety from groups who supported the Southern states and often attacked free Black people.

While in Knoxville, Charles's mother, Laura Scott, went to a school for Black children. This school was started by a church leader named Thomas William Humes. In 1864, she became Knoxville's first Black American teacher. She got permission to open a school from Ambrose Burnside, a commander in the Union army.

In 1865, William Scott, Charles's grandfather, moved to Nashville. There, he started The Colored Tennessean. This was the first newspaper in the state that was published and edited by a Black American. Two years later, he returned to Maryville. He published another newspaper there, the Maryville Republican, which supported a political group called the Radical Republicans. In 1869, he even served as Maryville's only Black mayor.

Charles Cansler studied at the Freedmen's Normal Institute, which was supported by Quakers. He later went to Maryville College. This was one of the few colleges in the South where students of all races could study together. However, he left before he finished his degree.

In the early 1890s, Charles worked for the railroad and the government. But he felt frustrated by unfair treatment because of his race. So, he started studying law with a judge named William Kain. In 1892, he passed the exam to become a lawyer.

A Career in Education and Civil Rights

In 1894, Charles Cansler tried to get elected to the Tennessee state government, but he did not win. He attended the Republican National Convention in 1896. This is a big meeting where the Republican Party chooses its candidate for president. In 1897, he was also at the celebrations when President William McKinley took office in Washington, D.C.

By the end of the 1890s, he decided he didn't want to be a lawyer anymore. He chose to focus his efforts on educating Black American children in Knoxville.

In 1900, Cansler joined the teachers at Austin High School. This was one of Knoxville's schools for Black students. In 1911, he became the principal of the school. One of his students was a famous artist named Beauford Delaney (1901–1979). It is said that Beauford drew a picture of Cansler that looked exactly like him.

In 1912, Cansler started the East Tennessee Association of Colored Teachers. He also opened a night school in Knoxville in 1914.

Charles Cansler was very good at math. He would give demonstrations where he could add long lists of numbers faster than adding machines. He used the money he earned from these shows to help pay for school projects. He even wrote two small books explaining how he added numbers so quickly.

In 1917, Cansler was very important in getting money from the Carnegie library fund. This money helped create the Knoxville Free Colored Library for the city's Black residents. Andrew Carnegie was a rich businessman who helped build many libraries.

He stopped teaching in 1939. The next year, he wrote his book, Three Generations: The Story of a Colored Family in Eastern Tennessee. Later, he wrote a chapter about Knox County's Black American community. This chapter was for a book by the East Tennessee Historical Society called The French Broad-Holston Country: A History of Knox County, Tennessee.

After Charles Cansler passed away in 1953, a large memorial service was held for him. It took place at Knoxville College's McMillan Chapel.

Legacy

Cansler Street, in Knoxville's Mechanicsville neighborhood, is named after Charles Cansler. The Charles W. Cansler Family YMCA in East Knoxville is also named for him. Cansler Elementary School, which was open in Knoxville for many years, was named for his mother, Laura Scott Cansler.