Hamilton Hatter

Hamilton Hatter (1856-1942) was an African American professor at Storer College, inventor and first president of Bluefield State College (originally Bluefield Colored Institute) in Bluefield, West Virginia from 1895 to 1906.

Hatter was born as a slave in 1856 in what is now Charles Town, West Virginia, but was then Jefferson County, Virginia. In order to pay for his education, he worked as a builder and mechanic, and a saw mill manager. Hatter graduated from Storer College in 1878. He then attended Nichols Latin School and graduated from Bates College in Maine in 1888. Hatter then taught Greek, Latin, and Mathematics at Storer College and served on the Board of Trustees until 1906. Hatter was active in Republican politics and in 1892 Hatter ran for a seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates after receiving the Republican nomination. In 1893 Hatter received a patent for a device that improved corn harvesting. In 1895, Bluefield Colored Institute (later known as Bluefield, West Virginia) in West Virginia was founded with land grant funds, and Governor Virgil A. Lewis chose Hamilton Hatter as the first Principal of the school. Hatter served as principal until 1906. During World War I, Hatter spoke publicly on behalf of President Wilson's policies. Hamilton Hatter died in 1942 and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Bluefield, West Virginia.