Charles Madison Sarratt

Charles Madison Sarratt (1888–1978) was an American academic and administrator. He was the co-author of a textbook on mathematics. He was the chair of the department of mathematics at Vanderbilt University from 1924 to 1946, dean of students from 1939 to 1945, vice-chancellor from 1946 to 1958, and dean of alumni from 1958 to 1978.

Early life Sarratt was born June 21, 1888, in Gaffney, South Carolina. His father, Robert Clifton Sarratt, served in the South Carolina House of Representatives and the South Carolina Senate. His paternal family was of Welsh descent. His mother, Frances Amos, was the daughter of Confederate veteran and Inman cotton plantation owner Charles McAlwreath Amos and granddaughter of Charles Amos, the co-owner of the Cowpens Iron Works and a slaveholder in the antebellum era.

Sarratt graduated from Limestone College. He then graduated from Cornell University, where he received a bachelor's degree in 1911. He went on to receive a master's degree from Syracuse University in 1915. He became the dean of men in 1922.

Civic activities Sarratt was a member of the American Mathematical Society.

In 1960, Sarratt chaired a committee of black leaders like Stephen J. Wright and Walter S. Davis and white businessmen to put an end to the Nashville sit-ins.

Personal life Sarratt married Mary Dora Houston in 1922. Sarratt Student Center on the campus of Vanderbilt University.

Death and legacy Sarratt died on March 24, 1978, in Nashville. Inside, the Sarratt Gallery is also named for him. Moreover, his bust is on display there.