George James Austin Sr. (c. 1881 – August 19, 1930), was an American military officer, educator, and insurance salesman.[1] He was a Black military officer in the United States, who served in the Spanish-American War and World War I. He worked for Black representation in the U.S. military during a time of racial segregation. Austin served on-campus as a military educator at historically Black colleges, including Prairie View College (now Prairie View A&M University), Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), and St. Paul Normal and Industrial School (now Saint Paul's College).
George James Austin | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1881 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | August 19, 1930 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Education | Tuskegee Institute, Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School |
| Occupation(s) | Military officer, ducator, insurance salesman, activist |
| Spouse | Mary Louise Dotson (m. 1906–1930; death) |
| Children | 4, including Helen Elsie Austin |
| Relatives | Mentor Dotson (father in-law) |
Early life and education
George James Austin was born in 1881[2] or 1887 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to parents Jane and Robert Austin.[citation needed] His father Robert was one of the earliest Black residents in the city of Cincinnati.[3]
He trained at Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School, and attended Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University).[when?][4][5]
Career
Austin served in the volunteer army during the Spanish-American War.[1][6] He also served in the United States Army in World War I from 1917 to 1919.[7] He was in the 92nd Infantry Division (and 317th Engineer Regiment).[7][8] Austin attained the military rank of major.[3]
In 1912, Austin was commandant (similar to modern-day ROTC commandant) at Prairie View College (now Prairie View A&M University).[9] He also served as a commandant at Tuskegee Institute;[when?][10][11] and as the commodore of cadets at St. Paul Normal and Industrial School (now Saint Paul's College) in Lawrenceville, Virginia, where he followed the "colored regiment campaign".[when?][12][13]
He noted around 1917, that Blacks were prohibited from attending the fourteen officer training camps on the United States.[13] In 1917, Austin corresponded with civil rights activist Joel Elias Spingarn.[14] He wrote general Leonard Wood about a segregated summer camp for college students.[15]
Austin eventually moved to Cincinnati and entered the insurance business.[10] He died on August 19, 1930 at St. Mary's Hospital in Cincinnati.[16]
Posthumously Austin was honored at the Cincinnati Memorial Day Parade in 1938.[17]
Personal life and family
Austin married Mary Louise Dotson in 1906.[18] They had a few children together. Austin's father in-law (and Mary Louise's father) was Alabama politician, Mentor Dotson.[19]
Austin was the father of Helen Elsie Austin, an attorney and Baháʼí faith leader.[20] Elsie Austin was another of his daughters, she was the first black female graduate of Cincinnati Law School (now University of Cincinnati College of Law) in the 1920s.[21]