| Luther H. Foster Jr. | |
| President of Tuskegee University | |
| Term Start: | 1953 |
| Term End: | 1981 |
| Predecessor: | Frederick D. Patterson |
| Successor: | Benjamin F. Payton |
| Birth Date: | March 21, 1913 |
| Birth Place: | Lawrenceville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Death Date: | November 27, 1994 |
| Death Place: | East Point, Georgia, U.S. |
| Alma Mater: | Virginia State University Hampton University Harvard Business School University of Chicago |
| Residence: | Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. |
| Spouse: | Vera Chandler Foster (m. 1941) |
| Children: | 2 |
Luther Hilton Foster Jr. (March 21, 1913 - November 27, 1994)[1] [2] was an African-American academic administrator. He served as the fourth president of the Tuskegee Institute, a private, historically black university in Tuskegee, Alabama now known as Tuskegee University, from 1953 to 1981.
Foster was born on March 21, 1913, in Lawrenceville, Virginia.[3] [4] His father worked for Saint Paul's College, a historically black college.[4] He grew up between Lawrenceville and Petersburg.[4]
Foster graduated from Virginia State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1932, followed by a second bachelor's degree from Hampton University in 1934.[4] He earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1936, followed by a master's degree and a PhD from the University of Chicago in 1941 and 1951 respectively.[4]
Foster began his career at Howard University, where he worked as a budget officer from 1937 to 1941.[3] Foster joined the Tuskegee Institute, now known as Tuskegee University, in 1941, where he worked as a business manager until 1953.[3] [5] He served as its fourth president from 1953 to 1981, which included the Civil Rights era.[3] Under his leadership, enrollment grew from 2,000 to 3,500.[4]
Foster served as the president of the United Negro College Fund and the Academy for Educational Development.[6] He also served on the board of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and Sears.[3]
Foster was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor. In 1958, he was awarded the Star of Africa from Liberia.[7]
Foster married social worker Vera Chandler in 1941. They had two children.[3] He resided in Alexandria, Virginia.[4]
Foster died of a heart attack on November 27, 1994, in East Point, Georgia, at 81.[6] [3] [4]