Thomas Monroe Campbell (1883–1956) was the first Cooperative Extension Agent in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and headed the first Extension Program as a field agent for the

U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and production ...

. Well known for his work under the tutelage of

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, and orator. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the primary leader in the African-American community and of the contemporary Black elite#United S ...

and peered with

George Washington Carver George Washington Carver ( 1864 – January 5, 1943) was an American Agricultural science, agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent bla ...

, Campbell was also the winner of the Harmon Award in 1930 for his service in the field of agriculture. He authored of the book ''The Movable School Goes to the Negro Farmer.'' He was a nationally known and well respected public servant of the first rank. A bust of Campbell can be found in the

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU; formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute) is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was founded as a normal school for teachers on July 4, 1881, by the ...

Library.Rasmussen, W. D. (1989). Taking the University to the People - Seventy-five Years of Cooperative Extension. Ames: Iowa State University. Campbell and his wife Anna had six children; their fourth child was Col. William A. Campbell, who became a highly decorated member of the

Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Fighter Group, 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of th ...

. He was among a group of African Americans trained by the Treasury Department to sell war bonds.

References

External links

Thomas Monroe Campbell
Encyclopedia of Alabama.
Thomas Monroe Campbell
Tuskegee University. {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Thomas Monroe African-American government officials Alabama Cooperative Extension System 1883 births 1956 deaths