Charles W. Chesnutt to Emmett J. Scott, 14 July 1906
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CHAS. W. CHESNUTT.
1105 WILLIAMSON BUILDING
CLEVELAND, O.
July 14, 1906.
Mr. Emmet[sic] J. Scott,
Tuskegee, Ala.
My dear Mr. Scott:-
Replying to your letter of recent date, I have made inquiry and had others inquire for me, and have been unable to find any qualified stenographer who would care to go south to take a position. All the qualified ones that I could learn of are employed. However, if I hear of any one and you are not by that time supplied, I shall be glad to give you the name.1
Yours very truly, Chas. W. ChesnuttCorrespondent: 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. Emmett J. Scott evidently asked Chesnutt, who was again running a successful stenography practice, for possible candidates for a position at the Tuskegee Institute. Scott's letter from August 21, 1906 suggests that Chesnutt later offered a name after the position was already filled.[back]
