Green Polonius Hamilton

Green Polonius Hamilton (1867–1932) was an American educator, principal, and author who was prominent in the African-American community of Memphis, Tennessee.[1]

Hamilton was born in Memphis and graduated from LeMoyne Normal Institute in 1882. He taught and then continued his education at Rust College and Columbia University before becoming principal at the first Memphis high school for African Americans, Kortrecht School.[2] He was married to Alice Richmond Hamilton.[2]

He chronicled Memphis' African American community at the start of the 20th century in his books Bright Side of Memphis (1908) and Beacons of the Race (1911).[3][1]

Hamilton High School, Hamilton Middle School, and Hamilton Elementary School in Memphis are named for him.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Roberta Church and Ronald Walter (1996). "Green P. Hamilton". In Lovett, Bobby L.; Wynn, Linda T. (eds.). Profiles of African Americans in Tennessee. Nashville: Annual Local Conference on Afro-American Culture and History. OCLC 34533006.
  2. ^ a b DeCosta-Willis, Miriam (2008). "Hamilton, Green Polonius". Notable Black Memphians. Cambria Press. pp. 148–149. ISBN 978-1-62196-863-4.
  3. ^ Goudsouzian, Aram; McKinney, Charles W. Jr. (2018). An Unseen Light: Black Struggles for Freedom in Memphis, Tennessee. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-7552-2.