Merze Tate
| Merze Tate | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Vernie Merze Tate February 6, 1905 Blanchard, Michigan |
| Died | June 27, 1996 (aged 91) Washington, D.C. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
Western Michigan Teachers College University of Oxford; Harvard University |
| Occupation | Academic, educator |
Vernie Merze Tate (February 6, 1905 – June 27, 1996) was a professor, scholar and expert on United States diplomacy. She was the first African-American graduate of Western Michigan Teachers College, first African-American woman to attend the University of Oxford, first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in government and international relations from Harvard University (then Radcliffe College), as well as one of the first two female members to join the Department of History at Howard University.
Tate was born February 6, 1905 in rural Blanchard, Michigan. Her great-grandparents migrated to Michigan from Ohio after receiving land through the Homestead Act. Merze began attending Rolland Township Elementary School Number Five, which was located on land owned by her family. At age 13 she entered Blanchard High School. This high school was destroyed by fire and students had to attend makeshift classrooms in area buildings. Due to inadequate educational facilities, students graduated at the end of the tenth grade. Merze Tate was the youngest and only African-American graduate in her class and was selected valedictorian. This however, was not satisfactory for college entrance, so Merze enrolled in Battle Creek High School where she maintained a straight-A average. Because she was only enrolled in the school for two years she could not be class valedictorian. She did win the Hynman Oratorical Contest which included an award of $50. After graduation Merze applied to Western State Teachers College (now Western Michigan University) and was awarded a tuition scholarship.
After completed the teacher's training program at Western Michigan Teacher's College, Tate taught at an elementary school in Cass County. During this time she continued her education by taking correspondence courses and returned to Western Michigan to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree in three years while maintaining the highest grade average of her classmates. In 1927, she became the first African-American to earn a bachelor's degree from the institution. She was also elected to the national social science honor society, Phi Gamma Mu.
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