James J. Durham
| James J. Durham | |
|---|---|
Durham in 1892
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| Born |
April 13, 1849 Woodruff, South Carolina |
| Died | December 11, 1920 (aged 71) Columbia, South Carolina |
| Alma mater | Fisk University, Meharry Medical College |
| Occupation | Minister, educator |
| Political party | Republican |
| Religion | Baptist |
James J. Durham (April 13, 1849 - December 11, 1920) was a Baptist minister in South Carolina and the founder of Morris College in 1908. He was a member of the board at Morehouse College and an officer in state and national Baptist conventions.
James J. Durham was born to James W. Durham and Dorcas Durham on April 13, 1849 near Woodruff, South Carolina in Spartanburg County. He and his mother were slaves of his father. At about the age of ten, they moved to a farm near Cashville, South Carolina where he worked until he was aged fifteen. At that point he was apprenticed to the blacksmith's trade which lasted until 1870. In July, 1867 he converted to the Baptist denomination and joined the Pilgrim Baptist Church in Greenville County and later that year was licensed to preach. In June 1868 he was ordained and made pastor of Foster Chapel in Spartanburg County fifteen miles from his home. He held the pastorate for eighteen months when he resigned and attended a school in Greenville Court House, continuing to work on Saturday's and during the summers. During the summer of 1873 he took courses in Latin and Algebra and entered the senior preparatory class for South Carolina College,failing to gain entrance to the Freshman class of the school. He took a job teaching the next summer and in October 1874 he entered the freshman class with a scholarship and some financial support from his father. When the State government became democratic, funding to the school was dropped, and in the spring of 1877, South Carolina College closed. In October 1877 he entered the Junior class of Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. In May 1879 he left Atlanta University and in March 1880 he enrolled at Fisk University where he graduated with an A. B. in May.
After graduation he took the pastorate at a small church in Columbia, South Carolina. Recognizing a need, he enrolled at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee in October 1880, graduating valedictorian with a M.D. in March 1882. In May of 1885 he received an A. M. from Fisk.
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