James Shelton Hathaway

James Shelton Hathaway (March 29, 1859 – February 17, 1930) was an American educator, academic administrator, and publisher. He was the two term president of the Kentucky Normal and Industrial Institute for Colored Persons (now Kentucky State University) in Frankfort, Kentucky. He was also known as J. S. Hathaway.

Early life and education James Shelton Hathaway was born into slavery on March 29, 1859, in Mount Sterling, Kentucky. In childhood he attended schools in Madison County, Kentucky.

At the age of 17, Hathaway enrolled in Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. In 1893, he became a professor of agriculture at the State Normal School for Colored Persons (now Kentucky State University) in Frankfort, Kentucky. During his first term as president, the school name was changed in 1902 to the Kentucky Normal and Industrial Institute. His daughter had also worked as a teacher at Richmond High School.