Charles Chapman
*Charles Chapman was born on this date in 1876. Chapman was a Black educator and advocate for agribusiness.
Born in Cayuga County, New York, he studied at Howard and Cornell University. Chapman was one of the seven founders (commonly referred to as Jewels) of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at Cornell University in 1906. During the organizational stages of the Alpha chapter, he served as the first chairman of the Committees on Initiation and Organization. He often commuted to Cleveland, Ohio, where his family lived. His wife was Esther Chapman, a dietitian in the Cleveland Public School system.
His journey to the South began with teaching appointments at Jackson State College in Mississippi, Alabama A&M College, and Florida A&M University. During his tenure at FAMU, Chapman founded the fraternity's Beta Nu chapter. Charles Henry Chapman died on November 17, 1934, at age 64. His university funeral was held with noticeable Fraternity participation as Chapman became the first Jewel to enter the Omega chapter, which contained the names of deceased fraternity members. Brother J. Raymond Henderson, the pastor of Wheat Street Baptist Church in Atlanta, preached the sermon.
