Charles Henry Chapman

Charles Henry Chapman (June 20, 1876 – November 17, 1934) was an American academic and one of the founders of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first Greek letter fraternity for African American men. He is known for advancing agricultural education and fraternal organizations.

Early life Chapman was born On June 20, 1876 in Cayuga County, New York. During the formation of what became the Alpha chapter, he was the first chairman of the Committees on Initiation and Organization.

Chapman gave the Founders Address at the fraternity's 22nd General Convention in December 1929. He said, "There never was a more beautiful episode in my life than the small part I played in the organization of the fraternity in 1906." He expanded the FAMU curriculum to include animal husbandry. The Beta Phi Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha established the Charles Henry Chapman Memorial Garden, a community garden, in his honor.

Personal life Chapman married Esther, a dietician with the Cleveland Public School District in Ohio. The couple lived in Cleveland, Ohio. When he secured teaching positions in the South, Esther remained in Cleveland where Chapman would visit her.

In 1934 following two weeks of illness, Chapman died in the Florida A&M hospital from nephritis at the age of 64. He was buried near Florida A&M. On November 22, funeral services were held in the university's auditorium with noticeable a Alpha Phi Alpha presence. He was buried in Oakland Cemetery in Tallahassee, Florida.