BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY Robert Lee Vann (August 27, 1879- October 24, 1940) was the publisher and editor of the Pittsburgh Courier from 1912 until his death. He was born in Ahoskie, North Carolina, the son of Lucy Peoples and an unknown father.[1] He graduated as valedictorian of Waters Training School in Winton, NC in 1901, and attended Wayland Academy and Virginia Union University in Richmond, VA from 1901 to 1903. He then attended Western University of Pennsylvania, (now the University of Pittsburgh) and graduated from its law school in 1909. He passed the bar examination in 1909 [2] and married Jessie Matthews from Gettysburg,Pennsylvania, in 1910. Vann was one of only five black attorneys in Pittsburgh, a city with more than 25,000 African-Americans in 1910.[3] After achieving prominence as the head of the Pittsburgh Courier, one of the nation's leading black newspapers, Vann served as Special Assistant to U.S. Attorney General Homer Cummings from 1933 until 1935. Largely neglected and even ill-treated (stenographers often refused to take dictation from him because he was black [4]), Vann could not get an appointment to see the Attorney General and in fact may never have met the man while in Washington.[5] Vann resigned in 1935 to return to the Pittsburgh Courier and then led it to prominence as the nation's leading black weekly.[6] He is buried in Homewood Cemetery, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.[7] The Liberty Ship SS Robert L. Vann was launched on 10 October 1943 inPortland, Maine with his widow Jessie Matthews Vann attending the launch.[8]
Legacy
- The former Robert L. Vann Elementary School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was named in his honor.
- Robert L. Vann School, Ahoskie, North Carolina, named in his honor.
- A Pennsylvania State historical marker is placed at the corner of Center Avenue and Frances Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, noting Vann's accomplishments.[9]
- The Liberty Ship SS Robert L. Vann was named in honor of Vann.[10]
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