Charles L. Reason
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Charles Lewis Reason (July 21, 1818 – August 16, 1893) was an American
mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...
,
linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
, and
educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
. He was the first
black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
college professor in the United States, teaching at New York Central College, McGrawville. He was born and died in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.


Early life and education

Reason was born July 21, 1818, in New York City as one of three sons to Michel and Elizabeth (Melville) Reason,
free people of color In the context of the history of slavery in the Americas, free people of color (; ) were primarily people of mixed African, European, and Native American descent who were not enslaved. However, the term also applied to people born free who we ...
(their surname was originally Rison) from
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
Dorothy B. Porter, "Patrick H. Reason", ''Dictionary of American Negro Biography'', edited by Rayford W. Logan and Michael R. Winston, 1982 and
Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colonization of the Americas, French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1803. The name derives from the Spanish main city on the isl ...
, respectively. They had immigrated as
refugee A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...
s in 1793 shortly after the early years of the
Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution ( or ; ) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known Slave rebellion, slave up ...
.John H. McLendon III, "Charles L. Reason"
''Black Past'', 2007-2011, accessed 26 February 2011
His brothers were Elwer W. and Patrick H. Reason, who also became leaders. Their older sister Policarpe died in 1818 at age four. Charles and two of his brothers attended the
African Free School The African Free School was a school for children of slaves and free people of color in New York City. It was founded by members of the New York Manumission Society, including Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, on November 2, 1787. Many of its alum ...
in New York; among their classmates were
Henry Highland Garnet Henry Highland Garnet (December 23, 1815 – February 13, 1882) was an American abolitionist, minister, educator, orator, and diplomat. Having escaped as a child from slavery in Maryland with his family, he grew up in New York City. He was ed ...
, George T. Downing, and
Ira Aldridge Ira Frederick Aldridge (July 24, 1807 – August 7, 1867) was an American-born British actor, playwright, and theatre manager, known for his portrayal of William Shakespeare, Shakespearean characters. James Hewlett (actor), James Hewlett and Ald ...
.Simmons, William J., and Henry McNeal Turner. Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. GM Rewell & Company, 1887. p657 As Charles was a
child prodigy A child prodigy is, technically, a child under the age of 10 who produces meaningful work in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to describe young people who are extraordinarily talented in some f ...
in mathematics, he began teaching the subject there, at the age of fourteen. He attended the short-lived
Noyes Academy The Noyes Academy was a racially integrated school, which also admitted women, founded by New England abolitionists in 1835 in Canaan, New Hampshire, near Dartmouth College, whose then-abolitionist president, Nathan Lord, was "the only seated ...
in
Canaan, New Hampshire Canaan is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,794 at the 2020 census. It is the location of Mascoma State Forest. Canaan is home to the Cardigan Mountain School, the town's largest employer. The main ...
, in 1835. He next appears in 1849 as a faculty member, giving an inaugural address, at the
New York Central College New York Central College, commonly called New York Central College, McGrawville, and simply Central College, was a short-lived college founded in McGraw, New York, in 1848 by abolitionist Baptists led by Cyrus Pitt Grosvenor. The first college ...
, an integrated institution founded by members of the
American Baptist Free Mission Society American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
in
McGraw, New York McGraw is a village in Cortland County, New York, United States. The population was 972 as of the 2020 census. The village is named after Samuel McGraw and is in the eastern part of the town of Cortlandville, east of the city of Cortland. H ...
(then called McGrawville, not to be confused with the current McGrawville).Scott W. Williams, "Charles L. Reason, an African American Mathematician in 1850"
''Mathematicians of the African Diaspora'' Website, State University of New York, Buffalo, 2006, accessed 26 February 2011
He was described as of "fair education and superior intelligence, 'complexion very light, beautiful black curly hair and a magnificent moustache'. He would very easily pass for an
Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
." Another description says he is "one of the most courtly gentlemen of the colored race in this city" (New York).


Career

Reason's first teaching job, in the 1830s, was at "the Quaker school in Laurens Street." Included in . In addition to teaching, Reason lobbied New York to repeal the state's "sojourner law," which allowed slaveholders from other states to bring their slaves to New York, allowing "free and unfettered" movement for them with the accompanying slaves. Reason's work helped to secure the right of blacks accused of being runaway slaves to a jury trial. In 1847, Reason, along with
Charles Bennett Ray Charles Bennett Ray (December 25, 1807 – August 15, 1886) was a prominent African-American minister and abolitionist who owned and edited the weekly newspaper '' The Colored American''. Born in Massachusetts, he spent most of his career and lif ...
, founded the New York-based Society for the Promotion of Education among Colored Children. Two years later, he was appointed professor of ''
belles-lettres () is a category of writing, originally meaning beautiful or fine writing. In the modern narrow sense, it is a label for literary works that do not fall into the major categories such as fiction, poetry, or drama. The phrase is sometimes used pej ...
'',
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
,
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, and
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
at New York Central College, McGrawville, while also serving as an
adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...
of mathematics. Central College was the first college to be integrated from its opening day; it hired Reason as the most qualified applicant. Reason was thus both the first Black professor, and the first Black teacher with white students, in the United States. He was described in a newspaper as "an accomplished and attractive man, and...a fine and ripe scholar, ...highly popular with the students, and with the citizens of McGrawville." In 1852, Reason left that post to become the principal of the Quaker
Institute for Colored Youth The Institute for Colored Youth was founded in 1837 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It became the first college for African-Americans in the United States, although there were schools that admitted African Americans preceding it. ...
in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
(later
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Cheyney, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1837 as the Institute for Colored Youth, it is the ...
), a post he held until 1856. During his time there, Reason increased enrollment from six students to 118. Here he favored math and the sciences, but gradually included other areas of study, particularly languages. Seniors expected their grades to appear in the most widely circulated paper in the U.S. black communities: the A.M.E.'s ''Christian Recorder''. Half of the students normally failed to graduate. Though instruction was strict, and exams were rigorous, parents scrambled to register their children. Reason returned to New York, where he served for decades in
public education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...
as a teacher, administrator, and reformer. He was principal of Colored Grammar School No. 3, at 78 West 40th Street. Later he was principal of Colored School No. 6 on 36th Street. During this time, he was instrumental in efforts to abolish
slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
and
segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of human ...
. He was a delegate to the Colored Labor Convention held in
Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the ...
, in 1870. He successfully lobbied for passage of an 1873 statute to integrate New York's public schools; however, in 1876 he was the head of New York City's colored public schools. He was politically active in many community groups. In the presidential election of 1884 he was a candidate for the
Electoral College An electoral college is a body whose task is to elect a candidate to a particular office. It is mostly used in the political context for a constitutional body that appoints the head of state or government, and sometimes the upper parliament ...
, at the moment a politically important position, on the Republican ticket. Reason was a devout
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, attending St. Peter's Catholic Church in Manhattan and corresponding in 1872 with Cardinal
Herbert Vaughan Herbert Alfred Henry Joseph Thomas Vaughan (15 April 1832 – 19 June 1903) was an English prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1892 until his death in 1903, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1893. ...
concerning the plight of
African-American Catholics African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
. In 1878, he owned a
brownstone Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material. Ty ...
at 242 East 53rd St. It was filled with books. He was described as "a remarkably well-read man and speaks several languages. ...He is said to be worth $60,000" (). Included in . After the public schools in New York City were desegregated, he became principal of Grammar School No. 80 at 252 West 42nd Street. Although his two strokes (one in 1885 and one in 1890) left him physically incapacitated, Reason continued at his post until he retired, some five months before his death. Reason was also a poet. He contributed to the ''Colored American'' in the 1830s and was a leader of New York City's Phoenix Society in the 1840s. He wrote the poem "Freedom", which celebrated the British
abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...
Thomas Clarkson Thomas Clarkson (28 March 1760 – 26 September 1846) was an English abolitionist, and a leading campaigner against the slave trade in the British Empire. He helped found the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade (also known ...
; it was published in
Alexander Crummell Alexander Crummell (March 3, 1819 – September 10, 1898) was an American minister and academic. Ordained as an Episcopal priest in the United States, Crummell went to England in the late 1840s to raise money for his church by lecturing about A ...
's 1849 biography of Clarkson.


Marriage and family

Not much documentation has been found on Reason's personal life, but he was said to have been married and widowed three times. His third and final wife was Clorice (Duplessis) Esteve (1819–1884), whom he married in New York City on July 17, 1855. They had no children, although she had a daughter from her previous marriage to John Lucien Esteve (1809–1852), a French West Indian confectioner, restaurateur, and caterer in New York City.1850 Federal Census, Fifth Ward, City of New York, p. 458 Reason had two strokes, which, after a recovery period, required him to go to work in a carriage, as he could not walk. He retired five months before his death. He died in his 53rd St. home in New York City in 1893. The cause of his death was specified as
Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine. It was frequently accompanied ...
. His estate was estimated at $30,000.


See also

*
List of African-American pioneers in desegregation of higher education This is a list of African-American pioneers in desegregation of higher education. 19th century 1820s 1826 * First African-American graduate from Amherst College: Edward Jones * First African-American graduate from Bowdoin College: Joh ...


Further reading

*John E. Fleming (with the assistance of Julius Hobson Jr., John McClendon and Herschelle Reed), ''The Lengthening Shadow of Slavery: A Historical Justification for Affirmative Action for Blacks in Higher Education'' (Washington, D.C.: Howard University Press, 1974) * Anthony R. Mayo, "Charles Lewis Reason," ''Negro History Bulletin'' 5 (June 1942):212-15 * W. J. Simmons, ''Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive, and Rising'' (1887), pp. 1105–13.


References


Works cited

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reason, Charles L. 1818 births 1893 deaths Scientists from New York City 19th-century American mathematicians 19th-century African-American academics 19th-century American academics American people of Guadeloupean descent American people of Haitian descent School desegregation pioneers American civil rights activists American anti-racism activists Linguists from the United States Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery African-American abolitionists American abolitionists Mathematicians from New York (state) New York Central College faculty African Free School alumni New York Central College alumni African-American college graduates before 1865 African-American Catholics Catholics from New York (state)