James H. Dillard

James H. Dillard
Dillard, as pictured in his 1932 book Selected writings of James Hardy Dillard
Born	James Hardy Dillard October 24, 1856 Nansemond County, Virginia
Died	August 2, 1940(1940-08-02) (aged 83) Charlottesville, Virginia
Occupation	Educator, advocate
Spouse(s)	Mary Harmanson (1881 - 1896, her death) Avarene Lippincott Budd (1899-1940, his death)
Children	10, 6 with Harmanson and 4 with Budd

James Hardy Dillard (October 24, 1856 – August 2, 1940), also known as J. H. Dillard, was an educator from Virginia. The son of slaveholders, Dillard was educated at Washington and Lee University and held a variety of teaching positions. In 1891, Dillard was named a professor at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.

There, he became increasingly active in advocating for black education. He led the Jeanes Fund from 1907 to 1931 and also led the Slater Fund for seven years. Following the merger of two black colleges in New Orleans in 1930, Dillard University was founded and was named in his honor.

Dillard was born in Nansemond County, Virginia, on October 24, 1856. His parents, James and Sara Brownrigg (Cross) Dillard, were slave owners. Dillard attended Washington and Lee University, then taught as an assistant professor of mathematics there from 1876 to 1877. For the next five years, he was the principal of the Rodman School in Norfolk, Virginia. He then spent another five years overseeing Norfolk Academy, then was accepted as principal of the Mary Institute at Washington University in St. Louis, in Missouri. Dillard led the school from 1887 to 1891.

Dillard married Mary Harmanson on July 5, 1882; they had six children. After her death, he married Avarene Lippincott Budd, with whom Dillard had four children. Son Hardy Cross Dillard served as a judge on the International Court of Justice from 1970 to 1979. James Hardy Dillard died on August 2, 1940 in his home in Charlottesville, Virginia.