Charles Sumner Duke
A photograph of Mr. Duke.
BornJuly 21, 1879
Selma, Alabama
DiedJune 15, 1952
EducationHarvard University
University of Wisconsin
Parent

Charles Sumner Duke (July 21, 1879 – June 15, 1952) was an architect, engineer, and public official who advocated for opportunities for African Americans and helped found the National Technical Association (NTA) in 1925.[1] His father was newspaperman and civil rights leader Jesse Duke.[2]

Early life and education

Duke was born in Selma, Alabama. His father, Jesse Duke, was a newspaper publisher whose anti-lynching editorial elicited a response that caused the family to flee to Pine Bluff, Arkansas.[3]

Duke studied at Branch Normal College, the Art Institute of Chicago, Phillips Exeter Academy,[4] and graduated from Harvard University[3][5] and the University of Wisconsin.

Career and military service

He moved to Chicago in 1908.[3] He was hired by the city of Chicago's Department of Public Works, Bureau of Engineering, in 1914, as a construction engineer. In 1916, Duke joined the U.S. Army, serving on the Mexican border with the Engineer Corps. He left with an honorable discharge and the rank of first lieutenant. He later went to work for Chicago's Bridge Division, and headed the city's Zoning Commission. As an architect, Duke helped with the initial construction of the Ida B. Wells project in Chicago, Illinois, and the design of the Newport News Homestead.[4][6] In 1938, Duke accepted a position for the U.S. government to lead construction in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

He founded the National Technical Association (NTA) in 1925[7] and served as its first president.[8] In 1932, Duke and the NTA advocated against the closure of Howard University's School of Engineering.[4]

Duke died from complications related to a blood clot after surgery for cancer.[2] The NTA's Charles S. Duke Distinguished Lecture Series is named for him.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Sumner, Charles Duke (1879–1952) – references – Philadelphia Architects and Buildings". www.philadelphiabuildings.org.
  2. 1 2 "Encyclopedia of Arkansas". Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "The Lives and Careers of Black Architects through Chicago's History". mydigitalpublication.com.
  4. 1 2 3 Duke, Jesse C. (2002). "The Life of Charles S. Duke, the Founder of the National Technical Association". NTA Journal.
  5. ↑ "charles duke sumner". The New York Age. June 29, 1905. p. 1 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Rapp, Julie. "Aberdeen Gardens, Va.: Built By Blacks for Blacks in 1930s |". Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  7. ↑ Jearld, A. Jr. (December 1, 2017). "The National Technical Association: A Hallmark for Access and Success". AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. 23. Bibcode:2017AGUFMED23B0300J – via NASA ADS.
  8. ↑ "Stories of African-American STEM Societies: Part 1 — The First Wave (1895 to 1947)". February 19, 2019.

Further reading


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