Ivan C. James, Jr.

Ivan C. James, Jr. (1917–2014) was an African-American engineer in St. Louis. He was the first African-American hired by Emerson Electric and one of the first African-Americans to become a licensed engineer in Missouri.

Ivan C. James, Jr. was born in 1917 to Ivan C. James and Lottie B. James. He attended West Bell School, Sumner High School, Lincoln University, and finally, the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Despite living in a time of severe racial segregation and limited opportunities, he was inspired by faculty members at his high school to value his education and pursue his dreams. He credits three teachers in particular—Ms. Anderson, Mr. Davenport, and Ms. Alford—with this encouragement and motivation. These teachers pushed him to use outside resources, such as the St. Louis Public Library, and emphasized the importance of African-Americans in American history and literature. Most notably, these teachers highlighted the fact that the place of African-Americans in American history was still evolving and changing, sparking his desire to take his education further.

After college, Ivan C. James, Jr. attended a historically all-white school, the Milwaukee School of Engineering. He and two fellow Lincoln University graduates were the first African-Americans to attend the school. He took a personal interest in recruiting more African-Americans to follow in his footsteps.

Ivan C. James, Jr. was the first African-American to be hired by Emerson Electric. He began his career as a porter, but his true aspiration was to be a stationary engineer. These jobs were only available to African-Americans in the public schools and in the Housing Authority, limited only to housing projects designated for African-Americans. He did not let these limitations deter his ambitions. He completed engineering courses at Washington University in St. Louis, and was finally hired as a stationary engineer at the Housing Authority.

Outside work, James collected African-American historical materials, such as books and pamphlets, which he donated for preservation in later life.

Ivan C. James, Jr. was alive during a time of immense historical changes. He witnessed both social and legal changes pertaining to the rights of African-Americans and an exponential increase in the amount of opportunities available for African-Americans to pursue. His personal advice to those striving to follow in his footsteps was: “Don’t give up. Education is the key, and just keep plugging, plugging, plugging.”

A scholarship named after him, offered by the S.E.E. Opportunities Foundation, exemplifies this ideology. The scholarship is granted to middle schools students who win a research essay-writing contest. It focuses on students interested in pursuing engineering and STEM careers.