John H. Wheeler Collection

John H. Wheeler [b. 1908, d.1978] began his academic career at Morehouse College in 1925. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1929. In 1947, Wheeler graduated from the law school at the North Carolina College at Durham (now North Carolina Central University). Beginning as a teller at the Mechanics and Farmers Bank in 1929, he rose to become president of the bank in 1952. Mechanics and Farmers Bank was a black-owned financial institution in a city that boasted several thriving black enterprises, including the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company (N.C. Mutual). Wheeler was heavily involved in politics and education through various positions within the federal government and on various boards of trustees for institutions like Morehouse College, Atlanta University, Lincoln Hospital, and the National Scholarship Service for Negro Students. While serving two presidents, Wheeler devoted his time to the development of low-income housing, focused on race relations, and the elimination of poverty.

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