Hubert Mack Thaxton (1909-1974) was a pioneer in theoretical physics. The Hubert Mack Thaxton collection consists of documents relating to Dr. Thaxton's attempts to obtain employment in private industry. Included are resumes, job advertisements, letters of rejection and a form letter from Dr. Thaxton charging racial bias.
Hubert Mack Thaxton (1909-1974) was a pioneer in theoretical physics. Thaxton was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, to Henry and Sarah (Jamison) Thaxton. He attended Howard University, where he earned a bachelor's (1931) in mathematics, physics, and chemistry, and a master's (1933) in mathematics and physics; then the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned another master's in mathematics (1936) and a PhD in physics (1939), making him the fourth African American to receive a PhD in physics. His doctoral thesis concerning the splitting of protons with protons was a largely unexplored phenomenon at the time. Thaxton taught at North Carolina Agricultural and Technology College, Delaware State College, Walter Hervey College in New York City, and City College of New York (CUNY). He taught at CUNY starting in 1946, and was appointed full-time faculty in 1971, but his application for tenure was denied, leading to a protracted legal battle. He also held a number of jobs as a researcher and engineer in industry for companies around New York and New Jersey: Solar Manufacturing Company (1947-1949), Sperry Gyroscope (1949-1950), Sylvania Electric Company (1950-1952), Balco Research Corporation (1952-1956), Astron Corporation (1956-1960), Curtis-Wright Corporation (1960-1961), Engelhard-Hanovia (1961-1963), and Kollsman Instrument Company (1963-1971). During his career, Dr. Thaxton worked with five Nobel Prize winners and published over 200 articles. Thaxton married Lydia Richardson of Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1941. They had two daughters.
Collection of documents relating to Dr. H. Mack Thaxton's attempts to obtain employment in private industry. Included are resumes, job advertisements, letters of rejection and a form letter from Dr. Thaxton charging racial bias.
Purchase, Thaxton, Dr. H. Mack, 10/25/77
This finding aid was updated by Allison Hughes. (2022 September 20)
Mickens, Ronald E. "Hubert Mack Thaxton," The African American Presence in Physics. National Society of Black Physicists, 1999.