Arthur Spingarn | |
|---|---|
| President of theNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People | |
| In office 1940–1965 | |
| Preceded by | Joel Elias Spingarn |
| Succeeded by | Kivie Kaplan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Arthur Barnette Spingarn (1878-03-28)March 28, 1878 New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 1, 1971(1971-12-01) (aged 93) New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Relatives | Joel Elias Spingarn (brother) Stephen Spingarn (nephew) |
| Education | Columbia University (BA,LLB) |
Arthur Barnette Spingarn (March 28, 1878 – December 1, 1971) was an American leader in the fight forcivil rights forAfrican Americans.
He was born into a well-to-doJewish family.[1] His older brother was the educatorJoel Elias Spingarn, and his nephew wasFederal Trade Commission CommissionerStephen J. Spingarn.
He graduated fromColumbia College in 1897[2] and fromColumbia Law School in 1899.[3]
Spingarn was one of the fewWhite Americans who decided in the1900s decade to support the radical demands for racial justice being voiced byW. E. B. Du Bois, in contrast to the gradualist views ofBooker T. Washington. He served as head of the legal committee of theNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was one of its vice presidents from 1911.
He interrupted his legal career to serve for several years as aUnited States Armycaptain in the Sanitary Corps duringWorld War I and protestedracial discrimination treatment of African Americans in theUS military. He was very interested in furthering the cause of civil rights and improving the condition of black Americans.[4] He succeeded his brother, Joel, as president of the NAACP in 1940 when the legal arm of the organization was spun off into theNAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and served as the NAACP's president until 1965.
Spingarn avidly amassed collections. One of them was of books, newspapers, and manuscripts on the black American experience worldwide that was "unique in its depth, breadth, and quality."[5] He sold it toHoward University, where it was incorporated into the renamedMoorland-Spingarn Research Center, the largest and most valuable research library in America for the study of black life and history.
His other collections were sold at auction in 1966.[6]
He died at home inNew York City on December 1, 1971. At his memorial service, he was eulogized by Associate Supreme Court JusticeThurgood Marshall andRoy Wilkins, executive director of the NAACP. Buell C. Gallagher, retired president of theCity College of New York, called him "the rallying center of the aggressive forward movement" of the NAACP.[7]
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