Luther H. Foster Jr. | |
---|---|
President of Tuskegee University | |
In office 1953–1981 | |
Preceded by | Frederick D. Patterson |
Succeeded by | Benjamin F. Payton |
Personal details | |
Born | March 21, 1913 Lawrenceville, Virginia, U.S. |
Died | November 27, 1994 East Point, Georgia, U.S. |
Spouse | Vera Chandler Foster (m. 1941) |
Children | 2 |
Residence(s) | Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. |
Alma mater |
Virginia State University Hampton University Harvard Business School University of Chicago |
Luther Hilton Foster Jr. (March 21, 1913 - November 27, 1994) [1] [2] was an African-American academic administrator. He served as the fourth president of the Tuskegee Institute, a private, historically black university in Tuskegee, Alabama now known as Tuskegee University, from 1953 to 1981.
Foster was born on March 21, 1913, in Lawrenceville, Virginia. [3] [4] His father worked for Saint Paul's College, a historically black college. [4] He grew up between Lawrenceville and Petersburg. [4]
Foster graduated from Virginia State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1932, followed by a second bachelor's degree from Hampton University in 1934. [4] He earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1936, followed by a master's degree and a PhD from the University of Chicago in 1941 and 1951 respectively. [4]
Foster began his career at Howard University, where he worked as a budget officer from 1937 to 1941. [3] Foster joined the Tuskegee Institute, now known as Tuskegee University, in 1941, where he worked as a business manager until 1953. [3] [5] He served as its fourth president from 1953 to 1981, which included the Civil Rights era. [3] Under his leadership, enrollment grew from 2,000 to 3,500. [4]
Foster served as the president of the United Negro College Fund and the Academy for Educational Development. [6] He also served on the board of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and Sears. [3]
Foster was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor. In 1958, he was awarded the Star of Africa from Liberia. [7]
Foster married social worker Vera Chandler in 1941. They had two children. [3] He resided in Alexandria, Virginia. [4]
Foster died of a heart attack on November 27, 1994, in East Point, Georgia, at 81. [6] [3] [4]