James Weldon Johnson

James Weldon Johnson ( born June 17, 1871 in Jacksonville, Florida, † June 26, 1938 in Wiscasset, Maine ) was an important American writer and also a diplomat, newspaper founder and editor, poet, anthropologist, professor, lawyer, critic, Composer, civil rights activist in the first hour and a prominent representative of the Harlem Renaissance. In addition to his own writings made ​​him his anthologies of African-American poetry and spirituals known. He was one of the first African-American professors at New York University and the librettist of "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing ," the " African-American National Anthem ".

Life

Johnson was born in Jacksonville, the son of Helen Louise Dillet and James Johnson. Initially, Johnson was taught by his mother, a teacher, and then at the Edmin M. Stanton School. At age 16, he began law studies at the private Clark Atlanta University, which he successfully completed in 1894. In 1910 he married Grace Nail, the daughter of a wealthy New York contractor. Johnson died in 1938, during a vacation he made in Maine when his car was rammed by a train. At his funeral in Harlem published more than 2,000 mourners.

In the school and law

After studying Johnson returned to the Stanton School, where he was director at age 23. In order to improve the training of predominantly black students, he introduced the 9th and 10th grade. During this time he also founded the newspaper the Daily American. He was the first African American who has been admitted as an attorney in Florida at court. In the 1930s he became a professor of creative writing at Fisk University in Nashville.

Music

Johnson, who was a good guitarist and pianist, had begun already in Jacksonville to write with his brother, the singer and pianist J. Rosamond Johnson, songs and lyrics for the opera Tolosa. Their goal was to overcome with sophisticated compositions and texts the dominant in popular culture stereotype of African Americans. 1899 both moved to New York City to seek their fortune on Broadway. There they learned, inter alia, Oscar Hammerstein know and above all the composer, author, actor, producer and director Bob Cole. The three wrote together over 200 songs. 1900 was also "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing ". In 1970 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Diplomacy

From 1906 to 1912 Johnson worked for the government as consul Theodore Roosevelt, first in Puerto Cabello (Venezuela) and, from 1909, in Corinto (Nicaragua ).