Draft:S. Edward Hall
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S. Edward Hall | |
|---|---|
| Born | Stephen Edward Hall January 26, 1878 Batavia, Illinois |
| Died | October 26, 1975 (aged 97) St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Occupation | Barber |
| Organization(s) | St. Paul Urban League, St. Paul NAACP, National Negro Business League |
| Spouse | Harriet Grissom |
Stephen Edward Hall (January 26, 1878 – October 26, 1975) was a prominent African American businessman and civil rights activist in St. Paul, Minnesota. He founded the Saint Paul chapters of the National Urban League and NAACP. His home in the historically black Rondo neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places from 1991 to 2016.[1]
Early Life
[edit]Hall was born in 1878 in Batavia, Illinois, one of five children of John and Julia Hall. His father was a Civil War veteran.[2] Hall lived in Elgin and Springfield, Illinois before moving to St. Paul in 1900, where he began working for African American barber W. V. Howard. He married his wife, Harriet “Hattie” Grissom in 1906.[3]
Career and Activism
[edit]Hall and his brother Orrington “Orrie” Hall opened a barbershop in St. Paul on Fifth and Wabasha Streets inside the Pittsburgh Building (later renamed the St. Paul Building). Both Hall brothers catered to white patrons at their barbershop, many of them influential politicians and businessmen. Using these connections, Hall promoted job openings to the black community in the Twin Cities.[4] Hall regularly greeted new black transplants at Union Depot, offering them his introduction card.[5] In 1908, Hall joined with the Mars Lodge of the Oddfellows to organize Union Hall, which opened in 1914.[6]
By 1915, the weekly newspaper The Helper started printing an advertisement for Hall’s services. The Helper received notices from “tipsters,” who informed the paper of new job openings. Hall’s barbershop was mentioned in the bulletin, and he was listed as the manager of the men’s department of employment services in The Helper into the 1920s.[7] The St. James African Methodist Episcopal church organized the "Helper Movement,” with Hall serving as its vice president. Hall continued to provide employment connections through his barber shop, including assisting with the Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant's agreement to hire a fair quota of black employees in 1925.[5]
In 1923, Hall founded the St. Paul chapter of the Urban League alongside Father S. J. Gilligan, Dr. J. W. Crump, and his brother Orrington. The St. Paul Urban League offered increased support for job seekers, assisted by donations from the Community Chest. This was met with resistance from white business owners who believed that it would encourage more African Americans to migrate to the state.[3] After founding the Urban League chapter, Hall spearheaded a community recreation project, leading to the establishment of the Hallie Q. Brown House (later renamed the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center), where he was a lifelong member. The Hallie Q. Brown Center became its own entity separate from the Urban League in 1930, providing nursery services for children whose mothers were seeking service jobs.[6] Hall was also instrumental in founding the St. Paul NAACP Chapter.[1]
Outside of his advocacy for African American rights, Hall was active in state politics and the national Republican Party. He was appointed to the Mayor’s Advisory Board in 1922 and to the General Unemployment Council in 1931. The Republican State Central Committee appointed him the Director for the Organization of Black Voters in Ramsey County. Between 1932 and 1948, Hall served as a Republican presidential elector. In the 1930s, Hall traveled to Washington, DC to lobby for the end of military segregation based on race.[4]
In 1947, Hall moved his barbershop to a building at the southwest corner of Selby and Victoria Avenues, in the Rondo neighborhood, where he lived.[4] He was executive secretary of the Master Barber’s Association, an active member of the National Negro Business League, and a president emeritus and honorary board member of the Urban League of St. Paul until his death in 1975. In 1973, Hall received the St. Paul Urban League’s Distinguished Service Award at its Fiftieth Anniversary Dinner.[7]
S. Edward Hall House
[edit]See S. Edward Hall House.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "S. Edward Hall, Businessman, and Activist born". African American Registry. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ "PVT John Henry Clifford Hall (1848-1890) - Find a..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ a b "Hall, S. Edward (1878–1975) | MNopedia". www.mnopedia.org. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ a b c Foss, Nicole, and Kelly Wilder. (2016). Saint Paul African American Historic And Cultural Context, 1837 to 1975. St. Paul: 106 Group.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Nord, Mary Ann, ed. (2003). The national register of historic places in Minnesota: a guide. St. Paul, Minn: Minnesota Historical Society Press. ISBN 978-0-87351-448-4.
- ^ a b Sluss, Jacqueline. "S. Edward Hall House, National Register of Historic Places Nomination File, March 1991". State Historic Preservation Office, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.
- ^ a b Points of Entry: The African American Heritage Guide to Saint Paul. Minneapolis: Culture Brokers Foundation, Inc. 2008.