Carl Augustus Hansberry
Encyclopedia
Carl Augustus Hansberry was an American real estate
broker
, inventor and political activist. He was also the father of award-winning playwright
Lorraine Hansberry
and the great-grandfather of actress Taye Hansberry.
. He was a son of Elden Hayes and Pauline (Bailey) Hansberry. He and his older brother, William Leo Hansberry
, were raised by their stepfather, Elijah Washington. As a young man, he moved to Chicago.
He married Nannie Louise Perry of Columbia
, Tennessee
, the daughter of George Perry, a minister, and his wife, Charlotte "Lottie" Organ. Together Carl and Nannie had four children:
When his youngest child was eight, Hansberry bought a house in the Washington Park subdivision of Chicago that was restricted to whites. The family was met with intense hostility by local residents. The Kenwood Improvement Association filed a mandatory injunction
for the Hansberry family to vacate their home which was granted by a Circuit Court judge and upheld on appeal by the Illinois Supreme Court. Hansberry challenged the ruling, which led to the landmark U. S. Supreme Court case Hansberry v. Lee
(1940). In a unanimous opinion rendered November 12, 1940, the court rejected the specific restrictive covenant
impacting the Hansberry family without ruling on the constitutionality of restrictive residential covenants in general.
In 1940, Hansberry made an unsuccessful bid for Congress. In the wake of that loss and frustrated by the pervasive racism in the United States
, he made plans to move his family to Mexico. While visiting Mexico, Hansberry suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died there on March 7, 1946. He is buried at the Burr Oak Cemetery in Cook County, Illinois
.
The family's experience with racial segregation would serve as the inspiration for his daughter Lorraine Hansberry's award-winning play, A Raisin in the Sun
.
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
broker
Broker
A broker is a party that arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller, and gets a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal...
, inventor and political activist. He was also the father of award-winning playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
Lorraine Hansberry
Lorraine Hansberry
Lorraine Hansberry was an African American playwright and author of political speeches, letters, and essays...
and the great-grandfather of actress Taye Hansberry.
Biography
Carl Augustus Hansberry was born on April 30, 1895 in Gloster, Amite County, MississippiGloster, Mississippi
Gloster is a town in Amite County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,073 at the 2000 census. It is part of the McComb, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area.T. T...
. He was a son of Elden Hayes and Pauline (Bailey) Hansberry. He and his older brother, William Leo Hansberry
William Leo Hansberry
William Leo Hansberry was an American scholar and lecturer. His was the older brother of real estate broker Carl Augustus Hansberry, uncle of award-winning playwright Lorraine Hansberry and great-granduncle of actress Taye Hansberry.-Biography:Hansberry was born on February 25, 1894 in Gloster,...
, were raised by their stepfather, Elijah Washington. As a young man, he moved to Chicago.
He married Nannie Louise Perry of Columbia
Columbia, Tennessee
Columbia is a city in Maury County, Tennessee, United States. The 2008 population was 34,402 according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. It is the county seat of Maury County....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, the daughter of George Perry, a minister, and his wife, Charlotte "Lottie" Organ. Together Carl and Nannie had four children:
- Carl Augustus Hansberry, Jr. (February 19, 1920—January 12, 1997)
- Perry Holloway Hansberry (June 4, 1921—December 18, 2002)
- Mamie Louise Hansberry (born April 2, 1923), former wife of journalist Vincent TubbsVincent TubbsVincent Tubbs was a leading African American journalist, who became the first black person to head a motion picture industry union.-Biography:Born Verley Trenton Tubbs, Jr...
and grandmother of actress Taye Hansberry - Lorraine Vivian HansberryLorraine HansberryLorraine Hansberry was an African American playwright and author of political speeches, letters, and essays...
(May 19, 1930—January 12, 1965)
When his youngest child was eight, Hansberry bought a house in the Washington Park subdivision of Chicago that was restricted to whites. The family was met with intense hostility by local residents. The Kenwood Improvement Association filed a mandatory injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
for the Hansberry family to vacate their home which was granted by a Circuit Court judge and upheld on appeal by the Illinois Supreme Court. Hansberry challenged the ruling, which led to the landmark U. S. Supreme Court case Hansberry v. Lee
Hansberry v. Lee
Hansberry v. Lee, , is a famous case now usually known in civil procedure for teaching that res judicata may not bind a subsequent plaintiff who had no opportunity to be represented in the earlier civil action. The facts of the case dealt with a racially restrictive covenant that barred African...
(1940). In a unanimous opinion rendered November 12, 1940, the court rejected the specific restrictive covenant
Restrictive covenant
A restrictive covenant is a type of real covenant, a legal obligation imposed in a deed by the seller upon the buyer of real estate to do or not to do something. Such restrictions frequently "run with the land" and are enforceable on subsequent buyers of the property...
impacting the Hansberry family without ruling on the constitutionality of restrictive residential covenants in general.
In 1940, Hansberry made an unsuccessful bid for Congress. In the wake of that loss and frustrated by the pervasive racism in the United States
Racism in the United States
Racism in the United States has been a major issue since the colonial era and the slave era. Legally sanctioned racism imposed a heavy burden on Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latin Americans...
, he made plans to move his family to Mexico. While visiting Mexico, Hansberry suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died there on March 7, 1946. He is buried at the Burr Oak Cemetery in Cook County, Illinois
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
.
The family's experience with racial segregation would serve as the inspiration for his daughter Lorraine Hansberry's award-winning play, A Raisin in the Sun
A Raisin in the Sun
A Raisin in the Sun is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem "Harlem" by Langston Hughes...
.