Tyler Edward Hill
Tyler Edward Hill (born April 23, 1883 – died December 2, 1932), known as T. Edward Hill, was an important leader in black politics in West Virginia. He lived during a time in the early 1900s when many black Americans moved from the South to West Virginia's coal mining areas. This movement was part of the Great Migration.
Early Life and Learning
Tyler Edward Hill was born on April 23, 1883, in Martinsville, Virginia. His parents were Caroline Virginia Harris and James D. Hill. His father managed the Southern Express Railroad Company. From a young age, Edward learned about his family's history. This included their ties to slavery, white slave owners, and an African chief. This focus on race in his family history likely made him think about race early on.
After his father passed away in the late 1890s, Hill and his brothers started working. They helped support their family at a local tobacco factory. Hill quickly became a skilled worker there by 1900.
Hill went to a Presbyterian school in Martinsville. After graduating, he began studying law in Washington, D.C. He attended Howard University, a historically black university. Through Howard's program, Hill earned his law degree. He also passed the bar exam in D.C. and Virginia. In 1904, he opened a café in D.C. and ran it for four years. In 1908, he sold his café. He then moved to southern West Virginia. This was a place where his law degree and his race would be very useful.
Career and Political Work
In the early 1900s, West Virginia's black population was politically strong. This was especially true in the southern part of the state. The coal industry encouraged black southerners to move north for jobs. Thousands of black men and their families moved to the coalfields. Once there, their large voting population helped influence political leaders.
In this environment, Hill started his law practice. He also bought a large share of The McDowell Times. This was an African American newspaper in Keystone, West Virginia.
Hill and his partner, Matthew Thomas (“M.T.”) Whittico, made The McDowell Times a leading black-published paper. Whittico had founded the paper in 1904. Both Hill and Whittico shared their conservative Republican views in the paper. This helped the paper gain many black readers in the area.
Through his work with The McDowell Times, Hill became more involved with Republican groups. This led to his election as President of the McDowell County Colored Republican Organization in 1916. He also became Secretary of the McDowell County Republican Executive Committee. Hill was also a delegate for the Fifth Congressional District to the Republican National Convention in 1912, 1916, and 1920.
Perhaps his most important role came when Hill was elected President of the West Virginia State League (WVSL). This group was very powerful. It worked to convince political leaders to pass laws that helped black people in the state. The WVSL worked with other groups, like the Commission on Interracial Cooperation (CIC). The CIC was formed after World War I due to racial violence. The WVSL's goal was to help the entire black population of the state. It used its influential members to support important laws. One example was the Capehart Anti-Lynch bill, which became law in 1921. The WVSL also pushed for the creation of the West Virginia Bureau of Negro Welfare and Statistics (BNWS). Hill was chosen as its first Director.
Director of the Bureau of Negro Welfare and Statistics
As the first director of West Virginia's Bureau of Negro Welfare and Statistics (BNWS), Hill had to plan for the new bureau. In an early report, Hill explained the BNWS's job. He said it was
"... to study the economic condition of the Negro throughout the state… to stimulate and encourage thrift, industry and economy among Negroes and to promote the general welfare and uplift of the Negro race in this state; to promote and encourage friendly and harmonious relations between the white and Negro races, and to report to the legislature, through the governor… and to make such recommendations for the solution of any problem or problems affecting the Negro that they may deem advisable.”
During this time, there were many coal mine strikes in West Virginia after the war. Hill became strongly against unions as the BNWS Director. In his first report, Hill stated that the Bureau encouraged black coal miners not to join the famous Battle of Blair Mountain. Instead, they were encouraged to continue working. Hill also helped start an all-black community in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. This was early in his time leading the BNWS. The Watoga Land Association aimed to help black coal miners own land. They could create new lives based on subsistence farming and community support.
Hill was married and had a son and two daughters.
