BB Comer Hall
Braxton Bragg Comer (1848-1927) was an Alabama governor for the four years that historians have attributed to beginning the Progressive Era of Alabama politics. He worked on education reform, railroad regulation and tax-funding. However , he lacked concern for child labor and wanted to increase progress that served rising industries while not disturbing plantations. He managed his family’s 30,000-acre plantation, growing corn and cotton, and owned a store selling his produce. It seems much of his governing was influenced by plantation interests as he sought railroad regulation once Atlanta plantations seemed capable of underselling Alabama plantations due to the cheap Georgia railroads.
http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1529
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Graves Hall
David Bibb Graves (1873-1942) governed Alabama for two nonconsecutive terms as the state’s 40th governor. His administration expanded the role of state government and increased social reforms and state infrastructure. The Encyclopedia of Alabama quotes him being one of Alabama’s most important governors as he served during the early years of the Great Depression, then the second during political conflict and recovery from the depression. He was also the Grand Cyclops of the KKK in Montgomery, Alabama, using his position to gain political power in 1926. He later resigned from the organization, condemning its violence.
http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1565
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Manly Hall
Basil Manly (1798-1868) was a Baptist minister, education advocator and the second president of The University of Alabama from 1837 to 1855, an 18-year tenure that became the longest presidency of the campus’ history. He built the president’s mansion on campus and improved campus life. During his presidency, he continued preaching and used the Bible to support slavery. Manly owned 38 slaves and even punished University slaves in front of faculty. The slaves buried on campus were believed to have belonged to Manly. While he was a staunch believer in slavery and wanted peaceful secession of Southern states, he brought to light the humanity of slaves and said their condition should be tempered with Christian values. While acknowledging they had souls, Manly didn’t mean that granted them equality, as he said everyone should respect their place in the divine plan. He worked towards social reforms, such as prison reform and aid for the mentally ill, and promoted agricultural reform.
http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1182
http://blurblawg.typepad.com/files/universityslaves-1.pdf
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Morgan Hall
An Alabama senator for 30 years, John Tyler Morgan (1824-1907) was a primary reason The University of Alabama was rebuilt after the destruction during the Civil War, as he fought to obtain federal funding. He was a white supremacist and slavery advocate. He was also a leader of the Alabama Secession Convention. His nickname, “Canal Morgan,” came for his support of a canal across central America as the Panama Canal debate ensued, although he advocated for a canal in Nicaragua instead of Panama. He was said to have strong opinions in the Senate and was a strong debater.
http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1508
http://blurblawg.typepad.com/files/universityslaves-1.pdf
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Nott Hall
Josiah C. Nott (1804-1873) was a physician, atheist and polygenist born in South Carolina. After moving to Mobile, Alabama, Nott had two clinics in town: one for white people and one for slaves. He wanted to increase the standards for professional medical practitioners as the issue was popular at the time and helped create the Mobile Medical Society. He believed that African-Americans were destined to a permanent inferiority and by owning them as slaves, society was sparing them from chaos that would ensue if they were left to govern themselves. Peterson’s research suggests that his work had ripple effects across the globe as it popularized the belief that racism could be scientifically proven.
http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1484
