Miller F. Whittaker

Miller Fulton Whittaker (December 30, 1892 – November 14, 1949) was an American architect, educator, and college president. He served as the third president of South Carolina State College (now South Carolina State University) from 1932 until his death in 1949. A trained architect and professor of physics, Whittaker guided the college through the Great Depression, oversaw significant campus expansion, and navigated the early tensions of the civil rights movement as the institution's leader.

Early life and education

Whittaker was born on December 30, 1892, in Sumter, South Carolina, the son of Johnson Chesnut Whittaker and Page Harrison Whittaker. His father, Johnson Chesnut Whittaker, was one of the first three Black cadets to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point and was the subject of a widely publicized court-martial in the late 1880s before joining the faculty of the Colored Normal, Industrial, Agricultural, and Mechanical College of South Carolina (the predecessor to South Carolina State University). He designed several campus buildings and supervised student labor in their construction. Among his most notable works was the design of Hodge Hall (now known as Lowman Hall), a facility for the college's science and agricultural programs, which was completed in 1917. In 1928, Kansas State College awarded Whittaker a professional degree in architecture after he submitted the drawings of Hodge Hall as his thesis. He had previously served as acting president before being formally appointed president in May 1932.

Academic development

Under Whittaker's leadership, the college achieved several significant milestones. In 1933, the college appeared on the approved list of the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. His funeral was held on November 15.

Legacy

The Miller F. Whittaker Library at South Carolina State University, dedicated in 1969, was named in Whittaker's honor. The Whittaker family's legacy at the university spans multiple generations. Johnson Chesnut Whittaker, Miller's father, served as commandant of the campus military unit from 1901 to 1903. In April 2024, the university celebrated the 56th anniversary of the Miller F. Whittaker Library, with Whittaker's great-great-niece Elizabeth Whittaker-Walker delivering the featured address.