McPherson, James W., 1886-1975
Dates
- Existence: 1886 - 1975
Biographical Statement
James Wesley McPherson, was a civic leader, as well as a member of the Voter Education Project and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
James Wesley McPherson was born on November 3, 1886, in Augusta, Georgia to James and Louisa McPherson. At six weeks old, his family moved to Orangeburg, South Carolina, where James attended public schools. In 1903, McPherson enrolled in Claflin University in Orangeburg and graduated in 1907 with a B.A. degree. In 1917, he enlisted and was discharged from the United States Army because of a physical disqualification. After being discharged, McPherson was employed by the United States Postal Service, where he retired in 1947, after thirty years of service. McPherson married Alma Z. McPherson and they had one son Emmanuel Littlejohn McPherson, who graduated from Claflin College and Meherry Medical School.
McPherson became involved with several groups, including the South Carolina Council on Human Relations (SCCHR), a group dedicated to creating better living and social conditions for African-Americans in South Carolina. He also was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the South Carolina Voter Education Project, a federation of independent, political and civic organizations designed to assist county organizations with registering African American voters in their county and providing the newly registered voters basic political education.
James McPherson died in May, 1975