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Emmett J. Scott to Charles W. Chesnutt, 27 March 1905

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  Mr. Charles W. Chesnutt, 1005 Williamson Bldg., Cleveland, Ohio. Dear Mr. Chesnutt:

I am sending your letter, concerning Mr. Cornwell,1 on to Mr. Washington at his Northern address today.2

He will be glad to have this information concerning this gentleman, I am sure.

Very truly yours, Emmett J. Scott Secretary.



Correspondent: 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. Mr. Cornwell has not been identified. [back]

2. The Hotel Manhattan (or Manhattan Hotel), opened in 1896 and demolished in the 1960s, was located at the northwest corner of Madison Avenue and 42nd Street near Grand Central Station in Manhattan. It was Booker T. Washington's preferred residence when in New York. [back]