In 1907, the State Board of Education named Thomas Hall Battle a charter member of the ECTTS board of trustees. However, shortly after his appointment, Battle resigned. Nevertheless, Battle’s selection is indicative of the State Board of Education’s thinking about who would be fit to serve the new institution. Battle’s background as a New South industrialist with significant interests in several emerging businesses, plus his personal standing as the son of Kemp P. Battle (1831-1919), former president of the University of North Carolina, and himself a strong supporter of the emerging graded school system in public education, strongly recommended him as a progressive-minded supporter of educational initiatives within the state. Moreover, Battle, whose childhood coincided with the Civil War and whose father had signed the Ordinance of Secession at the Secession Convention of 1861, subscribed to a brand of progressivism operative within the parameters of Jim Crow segregation as did most Democratic leaders of the state at that time.
Battle was born in Raleigh, educated there as a youth, and then graduated from the University of North Carolina in the class of 1880. After teaching briefly, he earned his law license in 1882 and moved to Tarboro where he served as a solicitor of the court in Edgecombe County. He later moved to Rocky Mount where he became involved in the Rocky Mount Mills, a longstanding cotton mill business revived after the Civil War. Under his leadership, the mill flourished during the first half of the twentieth century. Battle also helped to organize the Bank of Rocky Mount, the Rocky Mount Savings and Loan Company, and the Rocky Mount Insurance and Investment Company. He helped organize and then served as the first president of the North Carolina Bankers Association, 1896-1897.
Battle was a political leader in Rocky Mount, serving as its mayor from 1886-1896. He played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Rocky Mount Graded School and served as chairman of its board of trustees. He was also chair of the Rocky Mount Board of Education for thirty-four consecutive years.
Sources:
- “Century-Old Prophecy of State’s Cotton Mill Primacy Realized.” News and Observer. October 5, 1924. P. 1.
- Gatton, T. Harry. “Battle, Thomas Hall.” NCPedia. 1979. From the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography. Edited by William S. Powell. University of North Carolina Press. https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/battle-thomas-hall
- “Greenville Winner of Training School.” North Carolinian (Raleigh). July 18, 1907. P. 8.
- “Thomas H. Battle.” News and Observer. January 26, 1936. P. 4.
- “Thomas H. Battle.” Twin County Museum & Hall of Fame. https://tchof.org/thomas-h-battle/
- “Thomas H. Battle Called by Death.” News and Observer. January 24, 1936. P. 2.
Citation Information
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 9/20/2022