Quick Facts
Biography
Simon Alexander Haley (March 8, 1892 – August 19, 1973) was a professor of agriculture, and father of writer Alex Haley. He was born in Savannah, Tennessee, to farmer Alexander "Alec" Haley and his wife Queen (Davy) Haley (née Jackson). Both his parents were born as slaves, and both apparently fathered by white slave owners. Simon attended Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee, at age 15.
After enlisting in the military during World War I, he married Bertha George Palmer, also a student from Lane. The couple had three sons - Alex, George and Julius (who grew up to be an architect). Simon then finished his master's degree in agriculture at Cornell University. Bertha died in 1926, and Simon was remarried two years later to professor Zeona Hatcher with whom he had a daughter. Simon Haley held positions at various southern universities including Alabama A&M just north of Huntsville, Alabama. He was buried at Little Rock National Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Haley lineage
DNA testing of Simon's grandson Chris (via his youngest son Julius) revealed that Simon's father Alec was most likely descended from Scottish ancestors via William Harwell Baugh, an overseer of an Alabama slave plantation.