Mays, Benjamin Elijah (1894-1984), was an American Baptist minister, educator, and public speaker. He served as president of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, from 1940 to 1967. He held the position when civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., attended the school. King’s admiration for Mays influenced his decision to become a minister. Mays frequently spoke out against racial segregation and in support of education.
Mays was born in Epworth, near Greenwood, South Carolina, on Aug. 1, 1894. He earned a B.A. degree at Bates College in Maine and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Chicago. Mays became a minister in 1922. He wrote The Negro’s God as Reflected in His Literature (1938), and was coauthor of The Negro’s Church (1933). His autobiography, Born to Rebel, was published in 1971. Mays was president of the Atlanta Board of Education from 1970 to 1981. In 1982, he received the Spingarn Medal for his work in education and theology. Mays died on March 28, 1984.
