Jerome H. Holland

Jerome Heartwell "Brud" Holland (January 9, 1916 – January 13, 1985), one of 13 children, was an American university president and diplomat. He was the first African American to play football at Cornell University, and was chosen as an All American in 1937 and 1938. He was also the first African American to chair the American Red Cross Board of Governors, which named its Laboratory for the Biomedical Sciences in his honor.[1] He was the first African-American to sit on the board of the New York Stock Exchange (1972), and the first appointed to Massachusetts Institute of Technology's governing body, "The Corporation".[2][3][4]

Jerome H. Holland
United States Ambassador to Sweden
In office April 14, 1970 – August 30, 1972
President	Richard Nixon
Preceded by	William Womack Heath
Succeeded by	Robert Strausz-Hupé
Ninth President of Hampton University
In office 1960–1970
Preceded by	Alonzo G. Moron
Succeeded by	Roy D. Savage
President of Delaware State College
In office 1953–1960
Personal details
Born	Jerome Heartwell Holland (1916-01-19)January 19, 1916 Auburn, New York, U.S.
Died	January 13, 1985(1985-01-13) (aged 69) New York, New York, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Madeline Smalls ​ ( m. 1941; div. 1944) Laura Mitchell ( m. 1948)
Children	4
Alma mater	Cornell University University of Pennsylvania
Awards	Presidential Medal of Freedom

Jerome "Brud" Holland

Born:	January 9, 1916 Auburn, New York
Died:	January 13, 1985(1985-01-13) (aged 69) New York, New York
Career information
Position(s)	End
College	Cornell University
College Football Hall of Fame

Career

After graduating Cornell and teaching at Lincoln University, he attended the University of Pennsylvania, receiving his PhD in 1950. In 1953, he became president of the historically black Delaware State College, serving six years before succeeding Alonzo G. Moron as the ninth president of Hampton Institute, from 1960 to 1970. In that year, he became ambassador to Sweden under President Richard Nixon.

He became a member of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1965. In 1972, the NCAA awarded Holland its Theodore Roosevelt Award.[5]

Family

His son, Joe Holland, one of ten children,[6] also played for Cornell. He was selected as a third team All-American running back by the Associated Press for the 1978 College Football All-America Team, and as a graduate student with a 3.70 GPA, the same year, as an Academic All American. In 1991, he became a member of the Academic Hall of Fame.[7] An attorney, playwright and entrepreneur, Joe Holland is a Republican, as was his father. He filed as a candidate for Governor of New York in the 2018 election.[8]

References

1. History Behind the first African-American to lead the American Red Cross, American Red Cross. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
2. "Educator and Diplomat, Jerome Holland". African American Registry. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-12-01. Retrieved 2013-11-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Retrieved 2007-09-08.
4. Williams, Clarence G. (2001). Technology and the Dream: Reflections on the Black Experience at MIT, 1941-1999. The MIT Press. p. 1. ISBN 026223212X.
5. https://www.ncaa.org/awards/honors_program/theodore_roosevelt/winners.html Retrieved 2007-09-08.
6. Rodgers, Teri (November 6, 2005). "Square Feet: Interview -- With Joseph H. Holland; A Developer's Rocky Quest To Revitalize Harlem". New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
7. Academic All America 1978 Football, College Sports Information Directors of America. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
8. Lovett, Ken (February 14, 2018). "Republican Joseph Holland who co-chaired Pataki's winning campaign announces he's running for governor". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 1, 2018.

Sources

• Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by William Womack Heath	U.S. Ambassador to Sweden 1970–1972	Succeeded by Robert Strausz-Hupé