Luther Hamilton served as a trustee from 1955-1959, a momentous period during which East Carolina’s charter was amended by the state legislature removing the racial definition of the school’s mission of education as for “young white men and women.” By deleting the word “white,” from the charter, the state legislature brought the school’s legally defined mission into compliance with the 1954 Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision, leaving no further justification within the school’s governing document for continued segregation.
A native of Hunting Quarters in Carteret County, Hamilton attended Atlantic High School, Oak Ridge Institute, and the University of North Carolina Law School, graduating from the latter in 1915. That year he opened a law practice in Morehead City. In 1917, he enrolled in the military and eventually served his country abroad in WWI with the 21st Machine Gun Battalion in Europe. After returning to Morehead City, Hamilton served in both the state senate and the state house of representatives, 19 years as chair of the Carteret County Democratic Party’s Executive Committee, 14 years as a special Superior Court judge, and four years as mayor of Morehead City.
Due to a heart condition that occasionally precluded him from fulfilling public responsibilities, Hamilton missed a number of important ECC board meetings including those that approved social fraternities on campus, African American entertainers, additional land acquisition, interracial meetings on campus, closed circuit television, revision of East Carolina’s charter eliminating Jim Crow clauses, protocols for admission of African American students, and the fiftieth anniversary celebration of East Carolina’s founding in 1958.
Sources
- Hart, Reese. “Sen. Luther Hamilton in his Last Legislature.” Charlotte Observer. March 26, 1963. P. 6.
- Hart, Reese. “To Legislature: Carteret Senator Making Last Trip.” News and Observer. March 24, 1963. P. 6.
- Lougee, Jr., George E. “Judge Luther Hamilton Opens Court with Prayer: Superior Court Judge Introduced Prayer in Judicial Proceedings after Much Study.” Durham Morning Herald. April 6, 1949. P. 13.
- “East Carolina College Board of Trustees minutes, April 11, 1956.” University Archives # UA01.01.01.01.04. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N. C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/10261
- “East Carolina College Board of Trustees minutes, August 9, 1957.” University Archives # UA01.01.01.01.04. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N. C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/10260
- “East Carolina College Board of Trustees minutes, February 25, 1958.” University Archives # UA01.01.01.01.04. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N. C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/10269
- “East Carolina College Board of Trustees minutes, May 13, 1959.” University Archives # UA01.01.01.01.04. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N. C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/10263
- “East Carolina College Board of Trustees minutes, May 18, 1957.” University Archives # UA01.01.01.01.04. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N. C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/10265
- “East Carolina College Board of Trustees minutes, November 12, 1957.” University Archives # UA01.01.01.01.04. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N. C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/10262
- Records of the Chancellor: Records of John Decatur Messick, 1947-1959. University Archives # UA02-05. “Box 6: Hamilton, Luther, Member of the Board of Trustees, 1955-1959.” J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N. C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/special/ead/findingaids/UA02-05
Related Materials
Image Source: Charlotte Observer, March 24, 1963, P. 4.
Citation Information
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 03/20/2023