James Youman Eaton
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.