Samuel DeWitt Proctor
Encyclopedia
Samuel DeWitt Proctor (Norfolk, Virginia
, July 13, 1921 – Mount Vernon, Iowa
, May 22, 1997) was an African American
minister, educator, and humanitarian. He was active in the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968) and is perhaps best known as a mentor and friend of Martin Luther King, Jr.
on July 13, 1921. Unusual for an African American born in this era, Proctor's grandparents on both sides had received a university education: his paternal grandmother had attended Hampton Institute and both of his maternal grandparents had attended Norfolk Mission College. His parents, Hughes Proctor and Velma Gladys had met while they were both students at Norfolk Mission College. Proctor was raised as a Baptist
and as a child attended the congregation that had been founded by his great-grandfather, Zechariah Hughes. Hughes Proctor worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard
.
Proctor graduated from high school in 1937 and enrolled at Virginia State College, having won a music scholarship there. During his time at Virginia State College, he played saxophone
in a jazz band
along with famed jazz pianist Billy Taylor
. In 1939, he left Virginia State College without taking a degree and enrolled in the U.S. Naval Apprentice School to receive training to become a shipfitter
. He abandoned that line of study after only a year, and in 1940 matriculated at Virginia Union University
. During his time there, he became interested in religion and was baptized. He married his classmate Bessie Tate while he was a student at Virginia Union University. He graduated with a bachelor's degree
in 1942. He then spent a year studying at the University of Pennsylvania
before enrolling as the only black student at Crozer Theological Seminary
in Upland, Pennsylvania
in order to pursue a career in the Christian ministry. Proctor's professors at Crozer had been highly influenced by higher criticism, and learning from them caused Proctor to question the literal truth of the Bible
, leading him to question his faith. Proctor received a Bachelor of Divinity
degree from Crozer in 1945.
Following graduation, Proctor accepted a call to become pastor
of the Pond Street Church in Providence, Rhode Island
. At the same time, he accepted the John P. Crozer Fellowship to study ethics
at Yale University
. Proctor found splitting his time between Providence and New Haven, Connecticut
onerous, so after a year, he moved to Boston
, enrolling at the Boston University School of Theology
. He received a Ph.D.
in Theology
from Boston University in 1950. In 1950, Proctor was invited to give a lecture at Crozer Theological Seminary, his alma mater, and it was there that he first met and befriended Martin Luther King, Jr.
, who was a student at Crozer at the time. Proctor told King that the works of Reinhold Niebuhr
and Harry Emerson Fosdick
(especially Fosdick's The Modern Use of the Bible (1924)) had been crucial in helping him reconcile his Christian faith with the brand of liberal Christianity
taught at Crozer.
Proctor accepted a position at his other alma mater, Virginia Union University, and there began a meteoric rise from dean
to vice-president, before being appointed as president of Virginia Union University in 1955 at the unusually young age of 33. Shortly after his appointment as university president, in December 1955, King invited Proctor to Montgomery, Alabama
to speak; in the middle of Montgomery Bus Boycott
, Proctor delivered a "Spring Lecture Series". Proctor was one of several black leaders invited to the White House
by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
. In the wake of Brown v. Board of Education
, Eisenhower asked these leaders to "ease off" on their demands for civil rights for African Americans. Proctor and the other black leaders politely refused Eisenhower's request. During his time as president of Virginia Union University (1955–60), Proctor traveled extensively abroad for the first time in his life: he lectured in the Soviet Union
, toured the Auschwitz concentration camp
, attended conferences in Africa
and the South Pacific
, and visited Africa
for the first time.
In 1960, Proctor left Virginia Union University to become president of the Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina (which is today North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
) in Greensboro, North Carolina
. Arriving in the middle of the Greensboro sit-ins
, Proctor did not publicly support the student protesters, believing that quiet diplomacy was more effective than confrontation in advancing the civil rights agenda. However, behind the scenes, he and other school administrators raised money for arrested students, and helped to find them lawyers. (Jesse Jackson
was the college's student body president
and quarterback
of the college's football
team at this time.)
Proctor had strong ties to the Kennedy administration and in 1963-64 he took a leave of absence
from the Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina to serve as associate director of the newly-established Peace Corps
chapter in Africa. In this capacity, Proctor was living in Washington, D.C.
at the time of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
. He and his family moved to Nigeria
shortly thereafter, and while there, his children became the first black children at a previously all-white school.
Upon his return to the United States, Proctor resumed his presidential duties as of September 1, 1963 but on March 1, 1964, he announced his resignation to become effective April 10, 1964, citing his desire to devote himself to public service in the wake of the John F. Kennedy assassination
. Proctor spent a year (1964–65) as president of the National Council of Churches
. He was a supporter of President Lyndon B. Johnson
's War on Poverty
, serving as a special adviser to the Office of Economic Opportunity
for the northeast region. He then became president of the Institute for Service to Education. In 1966, he published a book about the challenges facing young African Americans entitled The Young Negro in America, 1960-1980. In 1968, he accompanied Hubert Humphrey
and Thurgood Marshall
to Africa, and, upon his return to the U.S., spoke out against the political corruption
that was rife in Africa. He was also asked to testify to the U.S. Senate's committee on education, chaired by Jacob K. Javits
; there he testified in favor of student loans, Head Start, Upward Bound
, and work-study programs.
In 1969, Proctor was invited by Rutgers University
to give a lecture on the one-year anniversary of the assassination
of Martin Luther King, Jr. Many of the college's administrators were there and were impressed by the address, and they soon offered Proctor the newly-established position of Martin Luther King Distinguished Professor of Education. Proctor accepted their offer and held this position until his retirement in 1984. Upon the death of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
in 1972, Proctor also assumed the pastorate of the 18,000-member Abyssinian Baptist Church
in Harlem
. Under the Carter administration, Proctor served as a special adviser on an ethics committee on recombinant DNA
research. Calvin O. Butts
served as Proctor's associate pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church for a number of years. Under Proctor's leadership, the congregation joined the American Baptist Churches USA
and the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
With Butts, the Abyssinian Baptist Church founded the Abyssinian Development Corporation and built 50 housing units for needy families. Proctor resigned his pastorate in 1989 and was replaced by Butts.
Proctor spent the 1990-91 academic year as a visiting professor at Vanderbilt University
; 1991-93 at United Theological Seminary
; and 1993-95 at Duke University
.
Proctor was the recipient of 45 honorary degrees in the course of his life.
In 1997, during a speaking engagement at Cornell College
, Proctor suffered a heart attack which proved fatal.
The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University was named in his memory, as was an endowed chair at Rutgers University.
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, July 13, 1921 – Mount Vernon, Iowa
Mount Vernon, Iowa
Mount Vernon is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, adjacent to the city of Lisbon. The city's population was 3,390 when the 2000 census figures were released, but that number was later revised to 3,808 because the Census Bureau had incorrectly reported that 418 residents of a Cornell...
, May 22, 1997) was an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
minister, educator, and humanitarian. He was active in the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968) and is perhaps best known as a mentor and friend of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
Biography
Samuel DeWitt Proctor was born in Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
on July 13, 1921. Unusual for an African American born in this era, Proctor's grandparents on both sides had received a university education: his paternal grandmother had attended Hampton Institute and both of his maternal grandparents had attended Norfolk Mission College. His parents, Hughes Proctor and Velma Gladys had met while they were both students at Norfolk Mission College. Proctor was raised as a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
and as a child attended the congregation that had been founded by his great-grandfather, Zechariah Hughes. Hughes Proctor worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Norfolk Naval Shipyard
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navy's ships. It's the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the U.S. Navy as well as the most...
.
Proctor graduated from high school in 1937 and enrolled at Virginia State College, having won a music scholarship there. During his time at Virginia State College, he played saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
in a jazz band
Jazz band
A jazz band is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands usually consist of a rhythm section and a horn section, in the early days often trumpet, trombone, and clarinet with rhythm section of piano, banjo, bass or tuba, and drums.-Eras:SwingDuring the swing era in the mid-twentieth...
along with famed jazz pianist Billy Taylor
Billy Taylor
Billy Taylor was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and since 1994, he was the artistic director for jazz at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in...
. In 1939, he left Virginia State College without taking a degree and enrolled in the U.S. Naval Apprentice School to receive training to become a shipfitter
Shipfitter
A shipfitter is a marine occupational classification used both by naval activities and among ship builders; however, the term applies mostly to certain workers at commercial and naval shipyards during the construction or repair phase of a ship....
. He abandoned that line of study after only a year, and in 1940 matriculated at Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It took its present name in 1899 upon the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American...
. During his time there, he became interested in religion and was baptized. He married his classmate Bessie Tate while he was a student at Virginia Union University. He graduated with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in 1942. He then spent a year studying at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
before enrolling as the only black student at Crozer Theological Seminary
Crozer Theological Seminary
The Crozer Theological Seminary was a multi-denominational religious institution located in Upland, Pennsylvania. The school succeeded a Normal School established at the site and the building's use as a hospital during the American Civil War...
in Upland, Pennsylvania
Upland, Pennsylvania
Upland is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Upland is governed by an elected seven member borough council. The population was 2,977 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Upland is located at ....
in order to pursue a career in the Christian ministry. Proctor's professors at Crozer had been highly influenced by higher criticism, and learning from them caused Proctor to question the literal truth of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, leading him to question his faith. Proctor received a Bachelor of Divinity
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
degree from Crozer in 1945.
Following graduation, Proctor accepted a call to become pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of the Pond Street Church in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. At the same time, he accepted the John P. Crozer Fellowship to study ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. Proctor found splitting his time between Providence and New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
onerous, so after a year, he moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, enrolling at the Boston University School of Theology
Boston University School of Theology
Boston University School of Theology is the oldest theological seminary of American Methodism and the founding school of Boston University, the largest private research university in New England. It is one of thirteen theological schools maintained by the United Methodist Church...
. He received a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
from Boston University in 1950. In 1950, Proctor was invited to give a lecture at Crozer Theological Seminary, his alma mater, and it was there that he first met and befriended Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, who was a student at Crozer at the time. Proctor told King that the works of Reinhold Niebuhr
Reinhold Niebuhr
Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr was an American theologian and commentator on public affairs. Starting as a leftist minister in the 1920s indebted to theological liberalism, he shifted to the new Neo-Orthodox theology in the 1930s, explaining how the sin of pride created evil in the world...
and Harry Emerson Fosdick
Harry Emerson Fosdick
Harry Emerson Fosdick was an American clergyman. He was born in Buffalo, New York. He graduated from Colgate University in 1900, and Union Theological Seminary in 1904. While attending Colgate University he joined the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. He was ordained a Baptist minister in 1903 at the...
(especially Fosdick's The Modern Use of the Bible (1924)) had been crucial in helping him reconcile his Christian faith with the brand of liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity, sometimes called liberal theology, is an umbrella term covering diverse, philosophically and biblically informed religious movements and ideas within Christianity from the late 18th century and onward...
taught at Crozer.
Proctor accepted a position at his other alma mater, Virginia Union University, and there began a meteoric rise from dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
to vice-president, before being appointed as president of Virginia Union University in 1955 at the unusually young age of 33. Shortly after his appointment as university president, in December 1955, King invited Proctor to Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
to speak; in the middle of Montgomery Bus Boycott
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a political and social protest campaign that started in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, intended to oppose the city's policy of racial segregation on its public transit system. Many important figures in the civil rights movement were involved in the boycott,...
, Proctor delivered a "Spring Lecture Series". Proctor was one of several black leaders invited to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
. In the wake of Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
, Eisenhower asked these leaders to "ease off" on their demands for civil rights for African Americans. Proctor and the other black leaders politely refused Eisenhower's request. During his time as president of Virginia Union University (1955–60), Proctor traveled extensively abroad for the first time in his life: he lectured in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, toured the Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
, attended conferences in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and the South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
, and visited Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
for the first time.
In 1960, Proctor left Virginia Union University to become president of the Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina (which is today North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is a land-grant university located in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest publicly funded historically black college in the state of North Carolina.NC A&T is a constituent institution of the University of North...
) in Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
. Arriving in the middle of the Greensboro sit-ins
Greensboro sit-ins
The Greensboro sit-ins were a series of nonviolent protests which led to the Woolworth's department store chain reversing its policy of racial segregation in the Southern United States....
, Proctor did not publicly support the student protesters, believing that quiet diplomacy was more effective than confrontation in advancing the civil rights agenda. However, behind the scenes, he and other school administrators raised money for arrested students, and helped to find them lawyers. (Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
was the college's student body president
Student body president
The President of the Student Government is the highest ranking officer of a student government or student union association on the high school, college, or university level...
and quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
of the college's football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team at this time.)
Proctor had strong ties to the Kennedy administration and in 1963-64 he took a leave of absence
Leave of absence
Leave of absence is a term used to describe a period of time that one is to be away from his/her primary job, while maintaining the status of employee...
from the Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina to serve as associate director of the newly-established Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
chapter in Africa. In this capacity, Proctor was living in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
at the time of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was the largest political rally for human rights in United States history and called for civil and economic rights for African Americans. It took place in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, August 28, 1963. Martin Luther King, Jr...
. He and his family moved to Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
shortly thereafter, and while there, his children became the first black children at a previously all-white school.
Upon his return to the United States, Proctor resumed his presidential duties as of September 1, 1963 but on March 1, 1964, he announced his resignation to become effective April 10, 1964, citing his desire to devote himself to public service in the wake of the John F. Kennedy assassination
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
. Proctor spent a year (1964–65) as president of the National Council of Churches
National Council of Churches
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is an ecumenical partnership of 37 Christian faith groups in the United States. Its member denominations, churches, conventions, and archdioceses include Mainline Protestant, Orthodox, African American, Evangelical, and historic peace...
. He was a supporter of President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
's War on Poverty
War on Poverty
The War on Poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national poverty rate of around nineteen percent...
, serving as a special adviser to the Office of Economic Opportunity
Office of Economic Opportunity
The Office of Economic Opportunity was the agency responsible for administering most of the War on Poverty programs created as part of United States President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society legislative agenda.- History :...
for the northeast region. He then became president of the Institute for Service to Education. In 1966, he published a book about the challenges facing young African Americans entitled The Young Negro in America, 1960-1980. In 1968, he accompanied Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
and Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
to Africa, and, upon his return to the U.S., spoke out against the political corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
that was rife in Africa. He was also asked to testify to the U.S. Senate's committee on education, chaired by Jacob K. Javits
Jacob K. Javits
Jacob Koppel "Jack" Javits was a politician who served as United States Senator from New York from 1957 to 1981. A liberal Republican, he was originally allied with Governor Nelson Rockefeller, fellow U.S...
; there he testified in favor of student loans, Head Start, Upward Bound
Upward Bound
Upward Bound is a federally funded educational program within the United States. The program is one of a cluster of programs referred to as TRIO, all of which owe their existence to the federal Higher Education Act of 1965. Upward Bound programs are implemented and monitored by the United States...
, and work-study programs.
In 1969, Proctor was invited by Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
to give a lecture on the one-year anniversary of the assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of Martin Luther King, Jr. Many of the college's administrators were there and were impressed by the address, and they soon offered Proctor the newly-established position of Martin Luther King Distinguished Professor of Education. Proctor accepted their offer and held this position until his retirement in 1984. Upon the death of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., was an American politician and pastor who represented Harlem, New York City, in the United States House of Representatives . He was the first person of African-American descent elected to Congress from New York and became a powerful national politician...
in 1972, Proctor also assumed the pastorate of the 18,000-member Abyssinian Baptist Church
Abyssinian Baptist Church
The Abyssinian Baptist Church is among the most famous of the many prominent and activist churches in the Harlem section of New York City.- History :...
in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. Under the Carter administration, Proctor served as a special adviser on an ethics committee on recombinant DNA
Recombinant DNA
Recombinant DNA molecules are DNA sequences that result from the use of laboratory methods to bring together genetic material from multiple sources, creating sequences that would not otherwise be found in biological organisms...
research. Calvin O. Butts
Calvin O. Butts
Calvin O. Butts, III , is the Pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York, President of the State University of New York College at Old Westbury, and Chairman and founder of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, an engine for $500 million in housing and commercial development...
served as Proctor's associate pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church for a number of years. Under Proctor's leadership, the congregation joined the American Baptist Churches USA
American Baptist Churches USA
The American Baptist Churches USA is a Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainline, although varying theological and mission emphases may be found among its...
and the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. is the largest predominantly African-American Christian denomination in the United States and is the world's second largest Baptist denomination...
With Butts, the Abyssinian Baptist Church founded the Abyssinian Development Corporation and built 50 housing units for needy families. Proctor resigned his pastorate in 1989 and was replaced by Butts.
Proctor spent the 1990-91 academic year as a visiting professor at Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
; 1991-93 at United Theological Seminary
United Theological Seminary
United Theological Seminary is a United Methodist seminary in Trotwood, Ohio, United States, in the Dayton metropolitan area. Founded in 1869 by Milton Wright, it was originally sponsored by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ...
; and 1993-95 at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
.
Proctor was the recipient of 45 honorary degrees in the course of his life.
In 1997, during a speaking engagement at Cornell College
Cornell College
Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally called the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by Reverend Samuel M. Fellows...
, Proctor suffered a heart attack which proved fatal.
The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University was named in his memory, as was an endowed chair at Rutgers University.