William Hooper Councill facts for kids
William Hooper Councill (born July 12, 1848 – died 1909) was an important leader and educator. He was born into slavery but later became the first president of Huntsville Normal School. Today, this school is known as Alabama A&M University in Normal, Alabama.
Contents
William Hooper Councill's Life
Early Years and Freedom
William Hooper Councill was born a slave in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on July 12, 1848. His parents were William and Mary Jane Councill. In 1854, his father escaped to Canada. He tried many times to free his family, but he was not successful.
In 1857, young William was taken to Huntsville, Alabama, by slave traders. He, his mother, and his brothers were sold at an auction. He saw two of his brothers sold away and never heard from them again. This was a very sad time for him.
During the American Civil War, William and his remaining brothers were moved to rural areas. This was to keep them away from the Union Army. But before the war ended, they managed to escape to the Union lines.
Becoming an Educator
After gaining their freedom, William and his brothers attended a school. This school was opened by people from the North in Stevenson, Alabama, in 1865. It was called a Freedmen's Bureau school. William stayed there until 1867.
Then, he started teaching. He was the first person to teach a school for black students outside of a city in northern Alabama. This was a brave thing to do, and some groups like the Ku Klux Klan were against it.
In 1868, Councill helped start the Lincoln School. It was located four miles west of Huntsville. By 1870, the school had 36 students.
Working in Government and Media
During the time after the Civil War, known as Reconstruction, William Councill was very active. He worked in the Alabama legislature in 1872 and 1874. He also served as a secretary for the Colored National Civil Rights Convention in Washington, D.C., in 1873.
He also taught at Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1874, he edited a newspaper in Huntsville called the Negro Watchman.
Leading Alabama A&M University
William Councill used his connections to get approval for his plan for the State Normal School for Negroes in 1875. He became its principal and later its president. This school is now Alabama A&M University.
In 1882, he was appointed a notary public by Governor Rufus W. Cobb. This meant he could legally witness signatures and documents. In 1883, he was allowed to practice law before the Supreme Court of Alabama.
In 1884, he married Maria H. Wheeden from Huntsville.
Councill was a contemporary of Booker T. Washington, another famous educator. They both worked to get support and money for their schools. Councill led Alabama A&M University until 1909. Under his leadership, the university became very large. It was second only to Tuskegee Institute among industrial schools for African Americans in Alabama.
In 1898, Councill wrote an important book. It was an illustrated history book called Lamp of Wisdom; or Race History Illustrated.
William Hooper Councill passed away on April 9, 1909, after a long illness. He was buried on the campus of Alabama A&M University. He had served as president for 32 years. His wife Maria was buried next to him after she died in 1910.
Today, Alabama A&M University celebrates Councill every May on Founder's Day. This day honors his important work for the university and for African American education.
William Hooper Councill's Legacy
Schools and Memorials
The first public school for African Americans in Huntsville was named William Hooper Councill High School in his honor. It started as Councill Training School in 1867. A famous civil rights leader, Joseph Lowery, was a student there. The high school closed in 1966 when schools became integrated. The building is now listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.
In 2018, the William Hooper Councill Alumni Association started building a memorial park. This park is at the school's original site. It looks like the school's original floor plan. Paths and benches in the park use bricks from the last school building. Future plans for the park include sculptures of Councill and students from the high school.
In 2020, Alabama A&M University announced a new memorial. It is called the William Hooper Councill Eternal Flame Memorial. It will be a lasting tribute to the university's founder. The memorial will have a new structure at his gravesite. An eternal flame will burn in the center of a walkway.
See also
