Charles H. Wesley
A historian and institution-builder who dedicated his life to documenting Black excellence and expanding educational opportunity in America.
1891–1987 (age 96)·American historian and academic·Birthday: December 2·The Lost Generation
Biography
Charles H. Wesley was a scholar who lived his mission. Born in 1891, he navigated the rigid racial barriers of academia to earn a PhD from Harvard, becoming one of the first African Americans to do so in history. For decades, he anchored the history department at Howard University, shaping generations of minds. But Wesley was never content to stay solely in the archive; he believed history was a tool for empowerment. This drove him into leadership, where he served as president of Wilberforce University and then as the founding president of Central State University in Ohio, cementing his legacy as an educator and administrator. Alongside this, he wrote over a dozen foundational books, from studies of Black fraternal organizations to biographies of figures like Richard Allen, ensuring the narrative of Black America was preserved and taught.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Charles was born in 1891, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Charles Was Born
The biggest hits of 1891
Charles's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1891Born
President: Benjamin Harrison
1896Started school
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
President: Grover Cleveland
1904Became a teenager
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1907Could drive
Financial panic grips Wall Street
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Could vote
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1912Turned 21
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1921Turned 30
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1931Turned 40
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1941Turned 50
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1951Turned 60
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1961Turned 70
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 80
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1987Died at 96
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
Key Achievements
- Earned a PhD in History from Harvard University in 1925, a rare accomplishment for an African American at the time.
- Authored more than 15 seminal books on African-American history, including 'Neglected History' and 'The History of Alpha Phi Alpha.'
- Served as the president of Wilberforce University (1942-1947) and the founding president of Central State University (1947-1965).
- Was a long-time professor and head of the history department at Howard University.
Did You Know?
He was an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Wesley was a member of the first African-American intercollegiate fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, and later wrote its history.
He served as the executive director of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now the ASALH) for over twenty years.
“History is the record of a people, and we must be its authors.”
