Henry P. Jacobs
Henry P. Jacobs (July 8, 1825 – December 14, 1899) was an American politician and educator.
Jacobs was born in Alabama. He escaped slavery[1] to Canada and then moved to Michigan before settling in Natchez, Mississippi after the American Civil War.[2] He led Natchez Seminary, founded in 1877, the school that would later become Jackson State University.[3][4] In 2010, Jackson State University president Ronald Mason Jr. proposed merging several historically Black colleges and universities into specialized campuses of a newly formed university called Jacobs State University in honor of Jacobs.[3] He served with John R. Lynch and O. C. French in the Mississippi House of Representatives from Adams County, Mississippi.[citation needed]
In 2015, a mural was painted in Ypsilanti, Michigan in his honor.[5]
References
- ^ "HP Jacobs: Ypsilanti's Builder of African-American Worlds". www.ypsireal.com. February 2, 2021.
- ^ "Henry P. Jacobs – Against All Odds". Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ a b Lynch, Adam. "JSU President Mason Proposes HBCU Merger Into 'Jacobs State'". www.jacksonfreepress.com.
- ^ "Learn About Natchez". Historic Natchez Foundation. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
- ^ Perkins, Tom (November 11, 2015). "Ypsilanti students celebrate local African-American history with new murals". mlive.com. Ann Arbor, MI: mlive. Retrieved September 16, 2025.