Mercer Cook
*Mercer Cook was born on this date in 1903. He was a Black educator and ambassador.
Cook was the son of Will Marion Cook and singer Abbie Mitchell, born in Washington, D.C. He received his B.A. from Amherst College in 1925, a diploma from the University of Paris in 1926, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Brown University in 1931 and 1936.
Cook taught French at Clark/Atlanta University for seven years, writing and editing several English and French books. Most notable were Le Noir (1934), Portraits Americans (1939), and Five French Negro Authors (1943).
In 1961, President Kennedy appointed Cook ambassador to the Republic of Niger, a position he held for three years. From 1964 to 1966, he was a special envoy to Senegal and Gambia. In 1969, he co-authored The Militant Black Writer in Africa and the United States with Stephen Henderson. The following year, he retired from active teaching. Mercer Cook died of pneumonia in Washington, D.C., on October 4, 1987.
Reference Library of Black America Volumes 1 through 5
Edited by Mpho Mabunda
Copyright 1998, Gale Research, Detroit, MI
