James P. Brawley collection

James P. Brawley was born on September 26, 1894 in Lockhart, Texas. When he was three, he was adopted by a paternal aunt and uncle. In an autobiographical sketch, he notes that his aunt and uncle were not only his "guardians in the usual sense of the word, but they became also the guardians of my spiritual life." He credits his "Christian home" and his "contact with nature" as the "two most dominating influences" in his early life.

While living with his aunt and uncle he attended the local, one-room elementary school. In 1911 he moved to Austin to attend Samuel Huston College. He completed his high school degree in 1916, graduating with honors. In 1920, he received his Bachelor of Arts, again graduating with honors. After graduation Brawley moved to Los Angeles, California where he attended the University of Southern California part time.

After a year in California, Brawley moved to Holly Springs, Mississippi to teach at Rust College. He entered the Masters program Northwestern University in the fall of 1923 to study religious education. After receiving his Masters of Arts in June of 1925, Brawley took a job as head of the Department of Education and Religious Education at Clark University. Brawley quickly moved up the ladder at Clark University becoming the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in the fall of 1926, the Administrative Dean in 1940. In 1941, after attaining his Ph.D in Education from the University of Chicago, Brawley succeeded Dr. M.S. Davage as President of Clark College.

As President of Clark College, Brawley oversaw the moving of the college to its current location within the Atlanta University Center consortium. During his tenure as president, Brawley became a founding member of the United Negro College Fund, created a fundraising culture on campus and saw several new buildings added to the campus. He also led the movement of the pre-centennial decade program. The program turned into a self-study that led to the first full-time development officer being hired and the creation of a development office. The curriculum was restructured and the pharmacy program established. The college also expanded it's land holdings, upon which an athletic field and a new academic building were built, they also secured funds to build a president's residence. By the end of his term as president, the college was operating on a surplus with no "accumulated deficit" (Brawley, The Clark College Legacy, pg. 268)

On August 31, 1965, Brawley resigned as president of Clark College and began his tenure as President Emeritus. As President Emeritus, Brawley served as a fundraiser for the college. He also wrote the a history of Clark College titled The Clark College Legacy: an Interpretive history of Relevant Education 1869-1975. The Clark College history was the second book written by Dr. Brawley, the first was titled Two Centuries of Methodist Concern: Bondage, Freedom and Education of Black People.

Outside of his work with Clark College, Brawley was an active member of the Methodist Church. He served on the President's Council of the Methodist Board of Education as well as several boards, commissions and committees related to social action and concerns. Brawley worked to integrate the church through the elimination of the Central Jurisdiction of the Methodist Church.

On June 20, 1929, James P. Brawley married Georgia Lee Williams. Mrs. Brawley served as an English teacher at Clark College.

James P. Brawley died on December 3, 1985 in Atlanta, Georgia.