Charles Waddell Chesnutt was mixed race author, essayist, political activist and lawyer, best known for his novels and short stories exploring complex issues of racial and social identity in the post-Civil War S.
Background
His paternal grandfather was known to be a white slaveholder and, based on his appearance, Chesnutt likely had other white ancestors. He claimed to be seven-eighths white, and identified as African American. Chesnutt could "pass" with relative ease for a white man, although he never chose to do so. In the 19th century and in many southern states at the time of his birth, Chesnutt was considered legally white. Under the one drop rule that became adopted in the 1920s in most of the South, he was classified as legally black because of having some known African descent.
Education
He taught himself stenography to make a living. Chesnutt became a teacher in black schools in North Carolina, and at 19 was assistant principal of the New Fayetteville Normal School, and later its principal. He kept a journal, from which he would draw for his writing. Chesnutt came to Cleveland in 1883. He studied law and was a stenographer for Judge SAMUEL WILLIAMSON†. He was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1887 and served as a court reporter to support his family and writing.
Career
Andrews, William L., The Literary Career of Charles W. Chesnutt, Louisiana State University Press, 1980.
Hatch, Shari Dorantes, and Michael R. Strickland, eds., African-American Writers: A Dictionary, ABC-Clio.
Smith, Jessie Carney, ed., Notable Black American Men, Gale, 1998.
Smith, Valerie, et al., eds., African American Writers, Scribner's, 1991.