Richard T. Greener at the University of South Carolina

Richard T. Greener (1844 - 1922) was the first African American man to serve on the faculty at the University of South Carolina. During Reconstruction the University integrated its student body. In 1873 Henry Hayne enrolled as the first Black student and soon the majority of students were African American. Greener was appointed as professor in the fall of 1873. During his time at the the University (1873 - 77) he made significant contributions to the institution. He taught philosophy, Latin, Greek, and constitutional law. For most of 1875 he served as librarian and helped to re-organize and catalog the library's holdings, and successfully lobbied the General Assembly for money for repairs. He also lobbied for 124 scholarships for new students and created a remedial “sub-freshman” class for Black students not prepared for university study. In 1876 Greener graduated from the Law School. He was a gifted speaker and spoke frequently around the state and the South advocating for civil rights. The University was closed in 1877 and reopened for whites only in 1880.
Sesquicentennial of Greener at USC
We are marking the 150th anniversary of Richard T. Greener's arrival on the campus in November of 1873 on the University of South Carolina with two events: a tour of the Reconstruction campus and a book discussion group for faculty to discuss his biography. ​
PicturePhoto by Christian K. Anderson
Richard T. Greener Resources
Contact Christian Anderson
PicturePhoto by Jason Ayer
Unveiling of the Richard T. Greener Statue & Inaugural Lecture
The Richard T. Greener statue was unveiled on February 21, 2018 in front of the Thomas Cooper Library on the University of South Carolina campus. U.S. Representative James E. Clyburn served as keynote speaker. 

The Richard T. Greener Lecture

The Greener Lecture continues his legacy of teaching at the University of South Carolina by focusing on a topic relating to his life as an educator, philosopher, librarian, lawyer, and diplomat. Visit this page for more information about past and upcoming lectures. 
  • 2024: Barbara Phillips, civil rights attorney; with a poetry reading by Nikky Finney
  • 2023: Neil Kinghan, author of A Brief Moment in the Sun: Francis Cardozo and Reconstruction in South Carolina
  • 2022: Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, authors of The Personal Librarian
  • 2021: Eddie Comeaux, Professor of Higher Education and Executive Director of the Center for Athletes’ Rights and Equity, University of California-Riverside
  • 2020: Randall Kennedy, Professor, Harvard Law School
  • 2018: James E. Clyburn​, U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 6th District

Invisible No More: The African American Experience at the University of South Carolina

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Richard T. Greener features prominently in the new book, Invisible No More: The African American Experience at the University of South Carolina, edited by Robert Greene II and Tyler D. Parry, and published by the University of South Carolina Press. A photo of his statue graces the cover; Chapter 3 by Christian K. Anderson and Jason C. Darby, "Richard T. Greener at the Reconstruction-era University: Professor, Librarian, and Student," is about his time at UofSC; and the process of bringing his statue to campus is discussed in the final chapter about memorials on campus by Katharine Thompson Allen and Lydia Mattice Brandt.

The book is available directly from USC Press, online, or at bookstores. (Those at UofSC can access it electronically via the Library.)

During Fall semester 2021 my class on the History of Higher Education in America used the book as a guide as we developed a tour of the African American experience at UofSC. Each of the authors visited our class (some in person, some via zoom) to discuss their chapters. 

The African American Studies Program hosted a book launch on January 17, 2022. Be on the lookout for other events to discuss the book.