James Youman Eaton (1866 – June 27, 1928) was an American teacher, lawyer, and politician.
Early life edit
James Youman Eaton was born in 1866 in Louisburg, North Carolina to Thomas R. and Annie Burwell Eaton.[1] His parents were former slaves and after emancipation were economically successful, having acquired 700 acres of land by the mid-1870s.[2] Following graduation from the Boydton Academic and Bible Institute,[3] Eaton earned a bachelor of laws degree from Shaw University in 1894[2] and passed the state bar exam that September.[4] On June 30, 1900, he married Mary Agnes Cooper. They had five children together.[5]
Career edit
After graduating from law school, Eaton opened a legal practice in Henderson. From 1897 to 1898 he served as a county attorney for Vance County.[6] As a young adult he taught at a school in Townsville and served two years as principal of a school in Buffalo Lithia Springs, Virginia.[7] He was elected as president of the Vance County Colored Teachers' Association at its formation on April 9, 1898.[8] The following year he founded and became principal of the Central Colored Graded School in Henderson.[1]
Eaton was selected to run for a seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives on the Republican ticket in September 1898.[9] He won the seat to represent Vance County in the November election.[10][11] He served in 1899 and 1900.[12] During the 1899 session, in which he was one of only three black representatives,[13] he served on a subcommittee of the legislature's joint Committee of Institutions for the Insane. He proposed four local bills before the House, two of which passed.[2]
Later life edit
Eaton died on June 27, 1928 from heart issues stemming from an illness. A funeral was held for him in Henderson on July 3[14] and his body was interred in a family plot in Blacknall Cemetery. The Eaton-Johnson Middle School in Henderson was partly named in his honor.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c Vann 2000, p. 47.
- ^ a b c Edmonds 2013, p. 108.
- ^ Edmonds 2013, p. 122.
- ^ Caldwell 1921, pp. 130–131.
- ^ Caldwell 1921, p. 129.
- ^ "James Youman Eaton". The News & Observer (Twentieth Century State ed.). Raleigh. August 24, 1899. p. 30.
- ^ Caldwell 1921, p. 131.
- ^ "Public School Teachers of Vance County Effect an Organization at a Meeting Held April 9th". Henderson Gold Leaf. 21 April 1898. p. 3. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Straight Republican Ticket". The News and Observer. 1 October 1898. p. 3. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "The Election in the State". Statesville Record and Landmark. 15 November 1898. p. 6. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Our Law Makers: Who Will Constitute Our Next Legislature". Henderson Gold Leaf. 8 December 1898. p. 1. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Adjourned Session of the Legislature Meets at Noon". The Morning Post. 10 June 1900. p. 5. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ Patterson, Dennis (October 30, 1999). "Racial Issues Show Stark Changes In Last 100 Years". The Carolina Times. Associated Press. p. 1.
- ^ "Funeral For Negro Educator". News and Record. 4 July 1928. p. 10. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
Works cited edit
- Caldwell, A. B., ed. (1921). History of the American Negro : North Carolina Edition. Atlanta: A. B. Caldwell Publishing Company.
- Edmonds, Helen G. (2013). The Negro and Fusion Politics in North Carolina, 1894-1901 (revised ed.). Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 9781469610955.
- Vann, Andre (2000). Vance County, North Carolina. Black America. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738506630.