Charles W. Chesnutt to Emmett J. Scott, 9 July 1902
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CHAS. W. CHESNUTT.
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW,
1005 WILLIAMSON BUILDING,
CLEVELAND, O. July 9, 1902.
Emmett J. Scott, Corresponding Secretary,
National Negro Business League,1
Tuskegee, Ala.
My dear Mr. Scott:-
I am in receipt of your favor of July 5th, in which you so cordially express a desire that I be present at the meeting of the National Negro Business League at Richmond, Va., August 25th to 27th.2
I have noted with interest the progress of the league, and shall continue to do so. But while I have certain business interests, I am not at present posing as a business man, and I fear therefore that I do not fall within the category described in the circular which you send me.3
With best wishes for the success of the meeting, I remain
Sincerely yours, Chas. W. ChesnuttChesnutt has business interests, I understand— & I thought that perhaps we could get him there to observe & do some writing for us also. 7/15.
EJSCorrespondent: Emmett Jay Scott (1873–1957), a Black journalist from Texas, became Booker T. Washington's personal secretary in 1897 and was his influential advisor until Washington's death in 1913. He served at the Tuskegee Institute until 1917, and later at Howard University (1919–1939). During World War I, he was Special Assistant for Negro Affairs under Secretary of War Newton D. Baker (1871–1937). His notes on Chesnutt's letters often steered Washington's attention to specific letters; his direct correspondence with Chesnutt spanned over three decades.
1. The National Negro Business League was established in 1900 and formally incorporated in 1901, with Booker T. Washington as the founder and the Tuskegee Institute as its national headquarters until 1923. Its main purpose was to support Black businesses as part of Washington's idea of prioritizing economic improvement as the path to equality. At the peak of its importance, the League had hundreds of local chapters, and held annual meetings in August. Emmet Jay Scott (1873–1957), Washington's right-hand man, served as its corresponding secretary from its founding until 1922. [back]
2. The Third Annual Convention of the National Negro Business League was held in Richmond, Virginia, from August 25–27, 1902. [back]
3. In the fall of 1899, Chesnutt had temporarily given up his thriving stenography business to focus on his writing, but by 1901, he was listed again as a lawyer with an office in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. In 1902, the Cleveland City Directory listed him as a stenographer as well as a lawyer and notary. [back]
