Edgar H. Webster papers

Collection

Identifier: 0000-0000-0000-0290

Staff Only

Scope and contents

The Edgar H. Webster Papers span the years 1890 to 1961, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1923 to 1939. This small but significant collection primarily documents Webster’s published and unpublished writings. The papers include several pamphlets and various articles, as well as three scrapbooks.

The scrapbook labeled “articles” includes materials related to letters Webster received from students about their training experiences in the United States and overseas during World War I. The scrapbook labeled “unpublished articles” contains draft writings and works in progress, many of which were intended for future projects. The "large scrapbook" documents Webster’s writings, featuring articles on African Americans as well as examples of his scientific research.

Dates

Creation: 1890, 1913-1961

Rights statement

All materials in this collection are either protected by copyright and/or are the property of the Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Inc., and/or the copyright holder as appropriate. For more information, please contact archives@auctr.edu.

Biographical note

Edgar H. Webster, a white educator and scholar, was born on April 1, 1854, in Wheeling, Virginia, to George W. Webster and Louisa Asenath Richardson. He graduated from Bridgewater Normal School in 1881 and later earned a degree from the University of Chicago in 1905.

In 1887, Webster relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, where he joined the faculty of Atlanta University as Professor of Natural Science and Principal of the Normal Department. He dedicated more than four decades of service to the institution, shaping generation of students until his retirement in 1929.

Webster married Ella Williams Moore in 1892, and the couple welcomed their daughter, Amy Webster, in June 1893. After his retirement, he lived in Fairhope, Alabama, where he passed away on November 24, 1941.