James M. Canty | |
|---|---|
 Photographic portrait of Canty, published in 1906 | |
| Acting President of West Virginia State University | |
| In office 1898 | |
| Preceded by | John H. Hill |
| Succeeded by | James McHenry Jones |
| Superintendent of Mechanical Industries at West Virginia State University | |
| In office 1893–1914 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Albert C. Spurlock |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 23, 1865 Marietta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | February 16, 1964 (aged 98) Institute, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Institute Cemetery |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah J. Harris Canty Florence Lovett Canty |
| Children | 8 |
| Residence | Canty House |
| Alma mater | Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute |
| Profession | Educator, school administrator, and businessperson |
James Munroe Canty[a] (December 23, 1865 – February 16, 1964) was an American educator, school administrator, and businessperson. Canty was an acting principal of the West Virginia Colored Institute (present-day West Virginia State University) in 1898 and is considered by West Virginia State as an acting president.[b] Canty also served as the superintendent of Mechanical Industries for West Virginia Colored Institute from 1893 through 1914.
Canty was born in 1865[c] in Marietta, Georgia, to former slaves. He attended public school from an early age, and worked numerous trades with his father, including as a carpenter, butcher, ironworker, and farmer. Following a friend's recommendation, Canty began attending Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in 1886 and graduated from the institute in 1890. After graduation, Canty served as the institute's commandant and head of its night school. When he returned to Marietta, he applied his trade in machinery at a carriage shop. After a year in Marietta, Canty received a letter from Booker T. Washington requesting he write to James Edwin Campbell, principal of the West Virginia Colored Institute in Farm, West Virginia (present-day Institute, West Virginia). He was hired as the superintendent of mechanics and began his tenure there in 1893. Canty established a drill team and a military training corps for students, which evolved to become the institute's Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) unit. In the summer of 1898, Canty served as the institute's acting principal.
Later in life, Canty served as first vice president and as a director of the Mutual Savings and Loan Company in Charleston, West Virginia, which was the city's African-American bank. As an officer and director of the bank, Canty co-founded two companies to develop trading routes and relationships with Haiti, Africa, and British Guiana in 1922: the Overseas Navigation Corporation and the Overseas Trading Company. In 1950, West Virginia State College's ROTC unit honored Canty for his involvement in the college's military training corps program. Following an extended illness, Canty died at his residence in Institute in 1964 at the age of 98. His residence, Canty House, is on West Virginia State University's campus, houses the university's Athletic Hall of Fame, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- ^ a b "Death Record Detail: James Munroe Canty". West Virginia Archives and History, West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History. 2019. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
- ^ a b "Pioneer W.Va. Educator Dies". Charleston Daily Mail. Charleston, West Virginia. February 17, 1964. p. 5. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Pioneer State Negro Educator, 98, Dies". The Charleston Gazette. Charleston, West Virginia. February 17, 1964. p. 9. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2020 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
- ^ "Marriage Record Detail: James Monroe Canty and Florence Lovett". West Virginia Archives and History, West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History. 2019. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
- ^ "Office of the President: Past Presidents". West Virginia State University. 2020. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ^ West Virginia State University 2009, p. 17.
- ^ Canty 1905, p. 299.
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