Charles P. Adams

Charles Phillip Adams (July 22, 1873 – June 27, 1961) was an American academic administrator who served a 35-year term as the founding president of the Colored Industrial and Agricultural School, which later became Grambling State University.

Early life Born in Brusly, Louisiana, Adams grew up poor as the son of former slaves. He made some money through bartering and through farming his own land with his uncles, and this gave him enough money to attend college. He enrolled at the Tuskegee Institute at the age of 22. There he was a student of Booker T. Washington.

Career When the North Louisiana Farmer's Relief Association inquired with Washington as to someone who could lead the founding of an industrial school similar to Tuskegee, Washington recommended Adams. Adams was thinking of attending law school, but Washington convinced him that it would be more worthwhile to set up an educational institution for black people. He has been described as "a force of nature"; he stood 6'10" tall, weighed 300 pounds, and had a booming voice.