Emmett J. Scott to Charles W. Chesnutt, 6 January 1908
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January 6, 1908.
Mr. Charles W. Chesnutt,
1105 Williamson Bldg.,
Cleveland, Ohio.
Dear Mr. Chestnut:
Dr. Washington is not at Tuskegee at this time, having left for the North on the 1st inst., but I shall call your letter of that date to his attention at the first opportunity.1
Yours truly, Emmett J Scott Secretary. S.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. This acknowledgment of Chesnutt's January 1, 1908, letter to Booker T. Washington is the only known response to Chesnutt's statement of his position. Washington's next recorded letter to Chesnutt is from May 26, 1908, and pertains to his upcoming trip to Cleveland. [back]
