ABC's of John Hope Franklin - (H) Honorary Degrees

Over the course of his lifetime, John Hope Franklin Franklin would be awarded over 130 honorary degrees from colleges and universities across the United States. In several instances, Franklin was the first African American to receive an honorary degree from the institution. John Hope Franklin received his first honorary degree from Morgan State College in 1960 and his last honorary degree from Wesleyan University in 2006. The collection of honors and letters represents not only the length of Franklin’s career, but the respect of his contributions to scholarship and society from his peers in the academy.

JHFpapers_H2_Honorary_003 — Franklin served as a professor of history at Howard University from 1947-1956

JHFpapers_H2_Honorary_001 — Franklin’s first honorary degree from Morgan State College (now Morgan State University). Franklin delivered the commencement address and fellow Fisk alumni, W.E.B. DuBois received an honorary degree that same day.

JHFpapers_H2_Honorary_011a — John Hope Franklin being hooded at the Roosevelt University commencement in 1978

Notable institutions that bestowed an honorary degree upon John Hope Franklin include: American University, Bennett College, Columbia University, Duke University, Emory University, Fisk University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Lincoln College, Morehouse College, New York University, North Carolina State University, and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

This series is a part of Duke University’s John Hope Franklin@100: Scholar, Activist, Citizen year-long celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. John Hope Franklin

Submitted by Gloria Ayee, Franklin Research Center Intern

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