User:RT242/George Biddle Kelley
George Biddle Kelley | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 28,1884 |
| Died | May 5, 1962 Troy, New York |
| Education | Civil Engineering, Cornell University, 1908 |
| Organization(s) | Founder of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Founder of Troy Chapter of NAACP |
| Spouse | Harriet Gross |
George Biddle Kelley- (born 1884) was New York's first officially registered African American engineer[1] Kelley was the founder of the Troy Chapter of the NAACP and he worked with the United Negro College Fund.
Kelley was born in Troy, New York on July 28, 1884, to Richhard Kelley and Matilda Decker Kelley. Kelley's Father was a carpenter and formerly enslaved man,[2] who served in the 20th New York State Colored Volunteer during the Civil War.[3]
Kelley was one of nine children[3]
As a young boy, he attended Troy Military Academy,[2] and was the only African American Graduate[3]
Kelley had a reputation for his whistle at Rensselaer. He also was an orator, who often recited "Curfew Shall Not Ring to Night" [4]
Kelley wrote A Design for a Sewer System for a Portion of the Town of Saugerties for his senior thesis [5] On December 4, 1906, Kelley along with six other students formed Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity on the Cornell University Campus[6][2]
Kelley worked as an auditor for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. After 32 years of service, Kelley retired. [7]In the latter part of his career, he shifted to taxation, first working for the state of New York and then as a tax consultant in the private sector[8].
In May1934, Kelley was fifty years old when he married Harriet Gross[1].
Kelley died on May 5, 1962 at age 77 at his childhood home[3]. He was buried on May 10, 1962, in the Oakwood Cemetery in Troy, New York. He was subsequently moved to New Mt. Ida Cemetery, near his parent's gravesite.
Accomplishments
In 1902, when Kelley was18 years old, he founded the first association for the Advancement of Negros in Troy, New York at Liberty Presbyterian Church and had a long-standing membership in Troy's NAACP[1]
Kelley was also worked with the United Negro College Fund
Kelley was a 32nd-degree Mason in the Prince Hall Masonic Organization[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Sherry, Frank (April 23, 1966). "Troy NAACP Brings History Into Focus". The Times Record. p. 25. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c O'Malley, Christine G. (2019). ""First of All": The Founding of Alpha Phi Alpha and the Search for Fraternal Space at Cornell University, 1905-1920". Buildings & Landscapes: Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum. 26 (1): 48–72. doi:10.5749/buildland.26.1.0048. ISSN 1936-0886.
- ^ a b c d "George Biddle Kelley (1884-1962) engineer, Alpha Phi Alpha cofounder, Troy NAACP cofounder". Lansingburgh Historical Society. 2017-02-25. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
- ^ Transit. Troy, New York: Troy Times Art Press. 1902. p. 39.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Alpha Phi Alpha: The Alpha Chapter". rmc.library.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
- ^ "Our History". Alpha Phi Alpha. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ "Brother George Biddle Kelley Passes". The Sphinx. 48 (3): 4–5. Fall 1962 – via Issuu.
- ^ a b Oglesby, David (2021-12-06). "George Biddle Kelley (1884–1962) •". Black Past. Retrieved 2024-09-20.