Lafayette M. Hershaw | |
|---|---|
 Niagara Movement leaders W. E. B. Du Bois (seated), and (left to right) J. R. Clifford, Hershaw, and F. H. M. Murray at Harper's Ferry. | |
| Born | Lafayette McKeene Hershaw May 10, 1863 |
| Died | September 2, 1945 (aged 82) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Alma mater | Clark Atlanta University Howard University |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, lawyer, clerk |
| Spouse | Charlotte Monroe |
Lafayette M. Hershaw (May 10, 1863 – September 2, 1945) was a journalist, lawyer, and a clerk and law examiner for the United States General Land Office of the United States Department of the Interior. He was a key intellectual figure among African Americans in Atlanta in the 1880s and in Washington, D.C., from 1890 until his death. He was a leader of the intellectual social groups in the capital such as Bethel Literary and Historical Society and the Pen and Pencil Club. He was a strong supporter of W. E. B. Du Bois and was one of the thirteen organizers of the Niagara Movement, the forerunner to the NAACP. He was an officer of the D.C. Branch of the NAACP from its inception until 1928. He was also a founder of the Robert H. Terrell Law School and served as the school's president.