Henry Proctor Slaughter facts for kids

Henry Proctor Slaughter (born September 17, 1871 – died February 14, 1958) was an American journalist and printer. He was also a "bibliographer," which means he loved collecting books and other materials. Henry Slaughter spent his life gathering important resources about African American history. He especially focused on topics like slavery and the fight to end it (the abolitionist movement). He also collected letters from important African American leaders from the 1800s and early 1900s. His amazing collection has over 10,000 books and other items. Today, it is called the Henry P. Slaughter collection. You can find it at the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library.

Early Life and Learning

Henry Proctor Slaughter was born on September 17, 1871. His hometown was Louisville, Kentucky. His mother had been enslaved. She taught Henry to be proud of his heritage. She showed him how textbooks sometimes got facts wrong about slavery. She also told him stories about enslaved people who fought for their freedom.

Henry's father passed away when Henry was just six years old. To help his family, Henry sold newspapers. He worked hard and graduated from Central High School. He was the second-best student in his class.

He went on to study at Livingstone College in North Carolina in the 1890s. Later, he earned two law degrees from Howard University. He got his first law degree in 1899 and his master's degree in 1900. Even though he studied law, he never worked as a lawyer.

Henry Slaughter's Career

After high school, Henry became an apprentice at the Louisville Champion newspaper. An apprentice learns a trade by working with an expert. He also started writing articles for other local newspapers. In 1894, he became an editor for the Lexington Standard newspaper.

In 1896, Slaughter moved to Washington, D.C. He got a job at the U.S. Government Printing Office. He worked as a "compositor." This job involved designing forms and setting up text for printing. He worked there until he retired in 1937.

Henry Slaughter was the only African American to be elected chairman of a section of the Typographical Union. This union was for workers at the Government Printing Office. When he was 86, the union honored him as their "Sixty-Year Man."

In 1910, Slaughter became an editor for the Odd Fellows Journal. This was a masonic publication based in Philadelphia. He shared this job with his close friend, Arturo Alfonso Schomburg. They often visited bookstores and art galleries together. Slaughter also wrote for other newspapers. These included the Kentucky Standard, the Philadelphia Tribune, and the A.M.E. Church Review.

Amazing Book Collections

Henry Slaughter collected many rare books and items. These resources helped tell the story of African American history. At first, he focused on documents about slavery. He also collected materials about the movement to end slavery. He gathered items related to the Civil War too. Later, his interests grew to include all parts of Black history and culture.

Slaughter bought books from auction houses in big cities. He found items in Philadelphia and New York City. He also bought books from England and Ireland. He even bought items from the William Carl Bolivar collection. This collection included rare items from Haiti. His collection also had stories of Black secret societies in the U.S. He owned every issue of The Colored American newspaper. He also had all the writings of the famous poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.

By the mid-1940s, his library was huge. It had about 10,000 books. It also had 100,000 newspaper clippings. There were also pamphlets, photos, and letters. His collection filled three floors and the basement of his Washington, D.C., home. In 1946, his collection was sold to Atlanta University. Dorothy Porter Wesley helped make a list of everything in the collection.

Leadership and Community Work

Henry Slaughter was part of many groups throughout his life. He was a Thirty-third degree Mason. He held important roles in several Mason and Odd Fellows groups. He was also a wonderful cook. He would prepare fancy meals for the yearly meetings of the American Negro Academy.

In 1915, during a meeting of the American Negro Academy, a new group was formed. It was called the Negro Book Collectors Exchange. Henry Slaughter was named its first president. He also belonged to a casual group called the "Labor Day Bunch." This group of Black men met regularly to talk about books. They enjoyed gourmet meals together. Members included Slaughter, Schomburg, and Wendell Dabney.

For several years, he was the secretary of the Kentucky Republican Club in Washington, D.C. Slaughter also helped with four presidential inaugurations. These were for Presidents McKinley, Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson. He was a religious man too. He served in several church roles. He was a vestryman at St. Luke's Episcopal Church. He was also the superintendent of its Sunday school.

Family Life and Passing

Henry Slaughter was married two times. In 1904, he married Ella M. Russell, who passed away in 1914. In 1925, he married Alma R. Level. Henry Slaughter died in Washington, D.C., on February 14, 1958.