George J. Austin Explained

George James Austin
Birth Place:	Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Death Date:	August 19, 1930
Death Place:	Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Education:	Tuskegee Institute, Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School
Occupation:	Military officer, ducator, insurance salesman, activist
Spouse:	Mary Louise Dotson (m. 1906–1930; death)
Children:	4, including Helen Elsie Austin
Relatives:	Mentor Dotson (father in-law)

George James Austin Sr. (– August 19, 1930), was an American military officer, educator, and insurance salesman.^[1] He was a Black military officer in the United States, who served in the Spanish-American War and World War I. He worked for Black representation in the U.S. military during a time of racial segregation. Austin served on-campus as a military educator at historically Black colleges, including Prairie View College (now Prairie View A&M University), Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), and St. Paul Normal and Industrial School (now Saint Paul's College).

Early life and education

George James Austin was born in 1881^[2] or 1887 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to parents Jane and Robert Austin. His father Robert was one of the earliest Black residents in the city of Cincinnati.^[3]

He trained at Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School, and attended Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University).^{[4] [5]}

Career

Austin served in the volunteer army during the Spanish-American War.^[6] He also served in the United States Army in World War I from 1917 to 1919.^[7] He was in the 92nd Infantry Division (and 317th Engineer Regiment).^[8] Austin attained the military rank of major.

In 1912, Austin was commandant (similar to modern-day ROTC commandant) at Prairie View College (now Prairie View A&M University).^[9] He also served as a commandant at Tuskegee Institute;^{[10] [11]} and as the commodore of cadets at St. Paul Normal and Industrial School (now Saint Paul's College) in Lawrenceville, Virginia, where he followed the "colored regiment campaign".^{[12] [13]}

He noted around 1917, that Blacks were prohibited from attending the fourteen officer training camps on the United States. In 1917, Austin corresponded with civil rights activist Joel Elias Spingarn.^[14] He wrote general Leonard Wood about a segregated summer camp for college students.^[15]

Austin eventually moved to Cincinnati and entered the insurance business. He died on August 19, 1930 at St. Mary's Hospital in Cincinnati.^[16]

Posthumously Austin was honored at the Cincinnati Memorial Day Parade in 1938.^[17]

Personal life and family

Austin married Mary Louise Dotson in 1906.^[18] They had a few children together. Austin's father in-law (and Mary Louise's father) was Alabama politician, Mentor Dotson.^[19]

Austin was the father of Helen Elsie Austin, an attorney and Baháʼí faith leader.^[20] Elsie Austin was another of his daughters, she was the first black female graduate of Cincinnati Law School (now University of Cincinnati College of Law) in the 1920s.^[21]

Notes and References

1. Book: Pittman, W. Sidney . Alexander's Magazine . 1969 . Negro Universities Press . 2-3 . 37–38, 108 . en . Captain George J. Austin.
2. Note: Austin's tombstone and death certificate both give his year of birth as 1881, but other documents say otherwise
3. Web site: October 11, 1930 . Obituary: Robert Austin . 2023-12-09 . . 22 . en . Newspapers.com.
4. News: 1917-08-10 . Graduates and Teachers In Booker Washington's School Now In Army Training Camp, The Great Spirit Booker Washington Still Lives . 1 . . 2023-12-09 . Newspapers.com.
5. News: 1926-06-26 . Army Released Austin For Alumni Gathering . 9 . The New York Age . 2023-12-09 . Newspapers.com.
6. News: April 2, 1921 . Sign petitions to keep Austin at local Center . 3 . The Times Recorder . Zanesville, OH . Newspapers.com.
7. News: January 25, 1918 . letter by George J Austin, father of later Baha'i Helen Elsie Austin . 3 . . 2023-12-09 . Newspapers.com.
8. News: 10 May 1919 . Parade . Cincinnati Post.
9. News: 1912-10-28 . 800 Negro Students: Prairie View College Growing Rapidly and Fame Is Extending . 6 . Austin American-Statesman . 2023-12-09 . Newspapers.com.
10. Book: Neely, Ruth . Women of Ohio: A Record of Their Achievements in the History of the State . 1939 . S. J. Clarke Publishing Company . 119, 644 . en . Mary Louise Austin.
11. Book: Colored American Magazine . 1969 . Negro Universities Press . 10-11 . 359 . en.
12. Book: Sammons . Jeffrey T. . Harlem's Rattlers and the Great War: The Undaunted 369th Regiment and the African American Quest for Equality . Jr . John H. Morrow . 2015-09-26 . University Press of Kansas . 978-0-7006-2138-5 . 103–104 . en.
13. Book: Salter I, Krewasky A. . The Story of Black Military Officers, 1861-1948 . 2014-01-10 . Routledge . 978-1-134-74944-7 . 58 . en.
14. Book: Sammons . Jeffrey T. . Harlem's Rattlers and the Great War: The Undaunted 369th Regiment and the African American Quest for Equality . Jr . John H. Morrow . 2015-09-26 . University Press of Kansas . 978-0-7006-2138-5 . 524 . en.
15. Book: Henderson . Alexa Benson . Freedom's Odyssey: African American History Essays from Phylon . Sumler-Edmond . Janice . 1999 . Clark Atlanta University Press . 978-0-9668555-0-0 . 297 . en.
16. News: May 21, 1930 . Obituary: George J. Austin . 17 . Cincinnati Post.
17. News: 1938-05-18 . Parade Positions Assigned For Memorial Day Event . 2 . The Cincinnati Enquirer . 2023-12-09 . Newspapers.com.
18. Web site: June 10, 1906 . Mary Louise Dodson, Alabama County Marriages, 1818-1936 . FamilySearch.org.
19. Book: Neely, Ruth . Women of Ohio: A Record of Their Achievements in the History of the State . 1939 . S. J. Clarke Publishing Company . 119 . en.
20. News: January 4, 1937 . Attorney-General names aid; first negro woman chosen . 2 . The Cincinnati Enquirer . Cincinnati, OH . Newspapers.com.
21. Book: https://books.google.com/books?id=sJgXAQAAMAAJ&dq=major+&pg=RA1-PA58 . Opportunity . 1936 . National Urban League . 14-15 . 58 . en . Appointments.