John H. Hill

John Henry Hill (July 4, 1852 – October 13, 1936) was an American lawyer, educator, school administrator, and military officer. Hill was the second principal of the West Virginia Colored Institute (present-day West Virginia State University) from 1894 until 1898, and is considered by West Virginia State as its second president.[lower-alpha 1]

John Henry Hill
Portrait of Hill from the El Ojo yearbook (1923)
2nd President of
West Virginia State University[lower-alpha 1]
In office
1894–1898
Preceded byJames Edwin Campbell
Succeeded byJames McHenry Jones
Personal details
Born(1852-07-04)July 4, 1852
Charles Town, Virginia, U.S.[lower-alpha 2]
DiedOctober 13, 1936(1936-10-13) (aged 84)
Institute, West Virginia, U.S.
Resting placeInstitute Cemetery
Spouse(s)Etta Lovett Hill
ProfessionLawyer, educator, school administrator, and military officer
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceU.S. Army (1882–1887)
U.S. Volunteers (1898–1899)
Years of service1882–1887 (U.S.A.)
1898–1899 (U.S.V.)
RankQuartermaster Sergeant (U.S.A.)
First Lieutenant (U.S.V.)
Unit10th Cavalry Regiment (U.S.A.)
8th Infantry Volunteer Immunes (U.S.V.)
Battles/warsApache Wars

Hill was born into slavery in 1852 in Charles Town, Virginia (present-day West Virginia).[lower-alpha 2] He ran away toward the end of the American Civil War, and was taken to Maine by Major J. H. Whitmore of the 15th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Major Whitmore's father Samuel Whitmore provided Hill with an education, and he later attended Bowdoin College. In 1879, he was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Judicial Court of Sagadahoc County, Maine, thus becoming Maine's second African-American lawyer, before relocating to his native Jefferson County, West Virginia. In 1881, Hill was the first African American to be admitted to the bar of the Jefferson County Circuit Court, and he became the first African-American lawyer in West Virginia. Hill then served for six years in the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, during which time he participated in the campaign against Geronimo in the Apache Wars. Hill was also an assistant instructor at Storer College, and later served as a schoolteacher in Shepherdstown and as the principal of Shepherdstown's African-American public school, Shadyside School, from 1889 until 1893.

In 1893, Hill was appointed assistant principal of the West Virginia Colored Institute in Farm, West Virginia (present-day Institute). Following the resignation of the institute's principal James Edwin Campbell in 1894, Hill was appointed by the president of the Board of Regents to fill Campbell's unexpired term. In June 1894, Hill was elected and duly installed as the second principal of the West Virginia Colored Institute. In addition to his duties as principal, Hill also taught mathematics at the school. Hill resigned his position as principal in 1898 to fight in the Spanish–American War, and he was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the United States Volunteers in July 1898. Hill returned to the institute when he was appointed as Commandant of Cadets and professor of mathematics in June 1899. He resigned from his positions at the West Virginia Colored Institute in 1903, and he spent the following year traveling across the Western United States and Mexico.

In his later life, Hill published Princess Malah in 1933, which was a historical novel about a slave on the plantation of Samuel Washington, George Washington's brother. In 1935, West Virginia's State Board of Education named Hill president emeritus of West Virginia State College. He became a founding member of the West Virginia sustaining membership committee of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1936, and died in October of that year in Institute. Following his death, West Virginia State University's Hill Hall was named in his honor.

Early life, education, and law career
Hill was admitted to the bar in Sagadahoc County, Maine and Jefferson County, West Virginia (courthouses pictured)

John Henry Hill was born on July 4, 1852 in Charles Town, Virginia (present-day West Virginia).[3][4][5][lower-alpha 2] Hill was born into slavery,[3][5] under the ownership of the William Alexander family.[4] William Alexander was later named as Hill's natural father.[4] Hill was also descended from slaves who had served in George Washington's household.[6] Towards the end of the American Civil War, Hill ran away from his home and was captured by Union soldiers.[3][4] At the age of thirteen, Hill was taken to Maine by Major J. H. Whitmore of the 15th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment.[3] He was then taken in by Major Whitmore's father, Samuel Whitmore, who provided him with a fundamental education.[3][4] While in Maine, Hill also studied Latin and attended Litchfield Academy.[4] Hill later attended Bowdoin College, although he did not finish his coursework there.[3]

Hill taught in schools to pay for his study expenses,[4] and from 1877 to 1879, he worked at the law office of Tallman and Larrabee while he studied law.[3][4][7] On April 11, 1879, Judge Charles J. Faulkner Jr. qualified Hill to practice law at the bar of the Supreme Judicial Court of Sagadahoc County, Maine, becoming Maine's second African-American lawyer after Macon Bolling Allen.[3][8][9] Hill returned to his native Jefferson County, West Virginia to serve the African-American community there.[3][9] In 1881, Hill became the first African American to be admitted to the bar of the Jefferson County Circuit Court.[3][10] He became West Virginia's first African-American lawyer.[11] While in Jefferson County, Hill also served as an assistant instructor on the board of teachers for Storer College in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia in 1881.[12]

Early military service

Hill practiced law in Jefferson County until 1882, when he enlisted in the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army.[3][7][13] He was formally enlisted at Cincinnati, Ohio on October 23, 1882.[13] Hill served in the 10th Cavalry Regiment for six years, during which time he participated in the campaign against Geronimo in the Apache Wars.[3][7] He was honorably discharged with the military rank of regimental quartermaster sergeant.[3]

Early career in education

Following his discharge from military service, Hill returned to Charles Town,[3] and he became a schoolteacher in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.[14] African-American historian Carter G. Woodson wrote that Hill was the "most prominent teacher that Shepherdstown had" and that he was remembered in the community for the efficiency of his work.[14] Hill served as the principal of Shepherdstown's African-American public school,[15][16][17] which was known as Shadyside School.[18] Shadyside School was Shepherdstown's second school for African Americans, replacing the town's Old School in 1883, and it was the town's first public school for African Americans.[18] As principal, Hill commenced the 1889 school year with 63 students,[15] and the 1890 school year with a record 65 students.[16] He was reappointed to this position by the school's board of trustees in 1891.[17] Hill sought to add grade levels to Shadyside School, and he worked to standardize instruction there.[14] He served as the school's principal until 1893,[3][19][20] when he was succeeded in his position as principal in Shepherdstown by Alexander Freeman.[14] While in Shepherdstown, Hill was a proponent of the temperance movement, and in May 1890, he delivered an address to a temperance meeting at Shepherdstown's African Methodist Episcopal Church.[21]

West Virginia Colored Institute
Fleming Hall at West Virginia Colored Institute (1910)

In 1893, Hill was appointed as the English professor and assistant principal of the West Virginia Colored Institute in Farm, West Virginia (present-day Institute).[19][20][22] Hill's appointment to the institute was championed by A. S. Dandridge, Jefferson County's representative to the West Virginia Legislature.[19][20] The institute had been founded in 1891 under the Morrill Act of 1890, to provide West Virginia's African Americans with education in agricultural and mechanical studies.[23][24]

Following the resignation of the institute's principal James Edwin Campbell in 1894, Hill was appointed by the president of the Board of Regents to fill Campbell's unexpired term.[1][25][26] In June 1894, at the regular meeting of the board, Hill was elected and duly installed as the second principal of the West Virginia Colored Institute.[1][25][26][lower-alpha 1] Hill presided over the institute's first commencement.[1] By May 1898, the faculty under Hill consisted of C. E. Jones teaching natural science and history, Byrd Prillerman teaching English and mental science, James M. Canty teaching mechanics and mechanical drawing, Hill's wife Etta Hill teaching music, drawing, and Latin, and Flayvilla D. Brown teaching sewing.[27] In addition to his duties as principal, Hill also taught mathematics.[27] Throughout his tenure as principal at the institute, Hill and his wife resided in Fleming Hall.[1]

As the institute's principal, Hill was a member of the West Virginia Teachers' Association. He participated in the association's third annual meeting in Parkersburg in 1893,[28][29] and at the association's fourth annual meeting in Montgomery in 1894, Hill was appointed to a committee to urge the West Virginia Legislature to make an appropriation to the West Virginia Colored Institute's teaching fund.[29][30] He attended the association's fifth meeting in Hinton in 1895 and the sixth meeting in Charleston in 1896, where he provided the welcoming remarks.[30][31]

Hill resigned his position as principal in 1898 to fight in the Spanish–American War,[1][25][32] and he was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the 8th United States Infantry Volunteer Immunes of the United States Volunteers on July 19, 1898.[13][25][26][32][33] He was also appointed as the regimental commissary officer.[6] In addition to Hill, six of the institute's students enlisted, four of whom were made non-commissioned officers.[32] Hill was honorably discharged the next year on March 6, 1899.[13] Following his resignation, the Board of Regents placed James M. Canty of the Mechanical Department in charge of the school until the board's election of James McHenry Jones in September 1898.[26][33] Hill returned to the institute when he was appointed as Commandant of Cadets and professor of mathematics in June 1899.[1][6][25] As commandant, Hill led the institute's cadets in West Virginia military parades.[34][35]

In February 1900, Hill announced his candidacy for a Kanawha County seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates.[36] Hill was the only African-American candidate for a legislative seat in West Virginia's primary elections.[37] He narrowly lost to Shelton Johnson in the Republican primary in May 1900.[37]

Later life and death

Hill resigned from his positions at the West Virginia Colored Institute in 1903, and he spent the following year traveling across the Western United States and Mexico.[6][25] He then resided in Oklahoma before returning to West Virginia in 1913.[6][25] During World War I, Hill served as a welfare worker in the coalfields of Southern West Virginia.[6] Following the war, Hill worked as an assistant in the West Virginia Workmen's Department of Compensation in nearby Charleston, and he remained in this position until 1929.[6][25] Hill's resignation from this position was caused by his declining health.[6]

Hill visited the institute (then known as West Virginia Collegiate Institute) in November 1922, and delivered a presentation on "Mexico and Its People," based upon his personal knowledge from his travels in Mexico.[38] While Hill no longer worked directly for the institute, he continued his affiliation with the school as an occasional lecturer at student assemblies and informal advisor to students.[25]

In 1933, Hill published Princess Malah, a historical novel about a slave on the plantation of Samuel Washington, George Washington's brother.[39][40][41] Hill wrote Princess Malah "to depict the relationships existing between the master and slave in the period of our history just prior to the Revolutionary War."[39][40] As a descendant of slaves in George Washington's household, Hill grew up listening to stories about the private lives of the Washington family.[6] In Hill's novel, Princess Malah is the daughter of Lawrence Washington and the rightful heiress to Mount Vernon.[39][40][41]

In 1935, West Virginia's State Board of Education honored Hill's service to West Virginia State College by naming him the college's president emeritus.[6] In April 1936, Hill was a founding member of the West Virginia sustaining membership committee of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.[42][43] In May 1936, as president emeritus, Hill participated in West Virginia State's Founder's Day exercises on the 44th anniversary of the college's opening.[44]

Hill died of sepsis on October 13, 1936 at his home in Institute.[3][45] His funeral services were held at West Virginia State,[46] and he was interred at Institute Cemetery.[3][47]

Personal life

On the morning of New Year's Day in January 1889, Hill married Etta Lovett in Harpers Ferry.[48][49] According to The Shepherdstown Register, the "marriage was conducted very quietly on account of the recent death" of Lovett's father.[49] Prior to her marriage, Lovett was the organist for Storer College in Harpers Ferry.[49]

Legacy

West Virginia State University's Hill Hall is named for Hill.[1][50] Hill Hall was a dormitory for upper class women, and was built between 1936 and 1937 and renovated in 1979.[50] Hill Hall formerly housed West Virginia State's Counseling and Tutoring Center, Upward Bound, and Special Services.[50] Hill Hall currently houses the university's Business Administration, Economics, English, History, Modern Foreign Language, Political Science, and Sociology Departments.[50]

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References

Explanatory notes
  1. West Virginia State University was founded as the West Virginia Colored Institute in 1891, and was later known as West Virginia Collegiate Institute (1915), West Virginia State College (1929), and finally West Virginia State University (2004). Hill was titled as a principal during his tenure; however, West Virginia State University considers him the university's second president.[1]
  2. At the time of Hill's birth in 1852, Charles Town and Jefferson County were a part of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and they later became a part of West Virginia in 1863.[2]

Citations
  1. "Office of the President: Past Presidents". West Virginia State University. 2020. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  2. "About Jefferson County". County of Jefferson, West Virginia. 2020. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  3. Woodson 1937, p. 134.
  4. Moorland–Spingarn Research Center Staff 2015, p. 3.
  5. Donnelly, Shirley (November 30, 1970). "Civil War Brought College For Negroes". Beckley Post-Herald. Beckley, West Virginia. p. 4. Archived from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Woodson 1937, p. 135.
  7. Smith 1999, p. 237.
  8. Brown 1959, p. 174.
  9. Smith 1999, p. 94.
  10. "Local Intelligence" (PDF). Spirit of Jefferson. Charles Town, West Virginia. September 6, 1881. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020 – via Chronicling America.
  11. Smith 1999, p. 246.
  12. Storer College 1881, p. 4.
  13. "Application for Headstone for John H. Hill". National Archives and Records Administration, Fonds: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774 - 1985, Series: Applications for Headstones, January 1, 1925 - June 30, 1970, File: 1925-1941: Hicks, Elmer Francis - Hipple, Isaac J, ID: Ancestry File #40050_1521003240_0384-02047. National Archives and Records Administration.
  14. Woodson 1922, p. 36.
  15. "Briefs" (PDF). The Shepherdstown Register. Shepherdstown, West Virginia. September 20, 1889. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020 – via Chronicling America.
  16. "Our Schools". The Shepherdstown Register. Shepherdstown, West Virginia. September 12, 1890. p. 3. Archived from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Our Schools" (PDF). The Shepherdstown Register. Shepherdstown, West Virginia. August 28, 1891. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020 – via Chronicling America.
  18. Corra, Chuck (March 2, 2012). "Town filled with unique black history stories". Shepherdstown Chronicle. Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Archived from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  19. "Old Family Journal" (PDF). The Virginia Free Press. Charles Town, West Virginia. November 1, 1893. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020 – via Chronicling America.
  20. "A Deserved Appointment" (PDF). The Shepherdstown Register. Shepherdstown, West Virginia. October 26, 1893. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020 – via Chronicling America.
  21. "Temperance Meetings" (PDF). The Shepherdstown Register. Shepherdstown, West Virginia. March 7, 1890. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020 – via Chronicling America.
  22. Woodson 1937, pp. 134–135.
  23. "Our History Runs Deep". West Virginia State University. 2020. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  24. Jones 1904, p. 285.
  25. West Virginia Collegiate Institute 1923, p. 25 of the PDF.
  26. West Virginia Collegiate Institute 1924, p. 34 of the PDF.
  27. "Faculty" (PDF). The Institute News. Farm, West Virginia. May 3, 1898. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 19, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020 – via Drain-Jordan Library, West Virginia State University.
  28. Woodson 1922, pp. 60–61.
  29. Lewis 1896, p. 112.
  30. Woodson 1922, p. 61.
  31. Lewis 1896, pp. 112–113.
  32. "West Virginia State University ROTC Battalion: History". Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps. November 18, 2019. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  33. Canty 1905, p. 315.
  34. "For the Parade" (PDF). The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer. Wheeling, West Virginia. February 21, 1900. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020 – via Chronicling America.
  35. "Colored Institute Cadets" (PDF). The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer. Wheeling, West Virginia. February 22, 1900. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020 – via Chronicling America.
  36. "State Press Gleanings" (PDF). The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer. Wheeling, West Virginia. February 15, 1900. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020 – via Chronicling America.
  37. "Hottest on Record" (PDF). The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer. Wheeling, West Virginia. May 21, 1900. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020 – via Chronicling America.
  38. West Virginia Collegiate Institute 1922, p. 17.
  39. Browning 1934, p. 90.
  40. Gloster 1965, p. 212.
  41. G. B. J. 1935, p. 624.
  42. "State College To Give Music Week Recitals, Contest". The Charleston Daily Mail. Charleston, West Virginia. April 26, 1936. p. 9. Archived from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. "Announce Committees For State-Wide Study". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. Bluefield, West Virginia. April 26, 1936. p. 14. Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  44. "Book Grant Made To State College; Plan Ceremonial". The Charleston Daily Mail. Charleston, West Virginia. May 3, 1936. p. 14. Archived from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  45. "Death Record Detail: John H. Hill". West Virginia Archives and History, West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History. 2019. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  46. "Former Head of West Va. Institute Dies". The Arizona Gleam. Phoenix, Arizona. November 13, 1936. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  47. "John Henry Hill". Find a Grave. 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  48. "Marriage Record Detail: Etta Lovett and John H. Hill". West Virginia Archives and History, West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History. 2019. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  49. "Briefs" (PDF). The Shepherdstown Register. Shepherdstown, West Virginia. January 11, 1889. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 11, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020 – via Chronicling America.
  50. "Hill Hall - Campus Buildings and Artifacts, WVSU Archives & Special Collections". West Virginia State University. 2020. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.

Bibliography
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