Thomas Yenser
Thomas Yenser | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 16, 1866 Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | September 10, 1949 (aged 83) Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, U.S. |
| Occupations | Publisher, editor, newspaper compositor |
| Known for | Editor and publisher of Who's Who in Colored America (editions 3–6) |
Thomas Yenser (February 16, 1866 – September 10, 1949) was an American publisher and editor who compiled the biographical directory series Who's Who in Colored America from 1930 until his death in 1949.[1]
Career
[edit source]Early printing and business career
[edit source]Yenser began his career as a printer in Pennsylvania before moving to New York City in the early 1900s to work in typography for metropolitan newspapers including the New-York Tribune, City Record, and Evening Telegram.[2] He left the newspaper industry to work as a railroad advertising agent and as an executive for automotive firms, including the American Motor Truck and Tractor Company.[2][3] On September 27, 1921, Yenser co-founded the $1 million American Motor Truck Finance Corporation based in Newark, New Jersey.[3]
Who's Who in Colored America
[edit source]Yenser took over the Who's Who in Colored America series from founder Joseph J. Boris in 1930 and managed operations from 2317 Newkirk Avenue in Brooklyn, New York.[2][4] He began work on the series’ fifth edition by 1938 to update existing profiles and compile biographical sketches.[5][6]
To compile biographical data, Yenser and his son traveled more than 30,000 miles across the United States.[7] The directory documented civic, professional, and religious achievements of notable African Americans.[8][9] By the 1941–1944 edition, the publication had grown into a 700-page volume containing over 3,500 biographical sketches and more than 500 photographic engravings.[10] The directory was widely distributed to public libraries, state networks, and academic institutions, with copies ordered by Harvard, Yale, Duke University, Notre Dame, and the University of Minnesota.[6] The State of Louisiana also purchased 75 copies of the directory for statewide distribution.[11] Yenser also expanded the directory's coverage during World War II to document African Americans serving in the United States Armed Forces.[12]
During his regional travel, Yenser actively campaigned for public cooperation to ensure the directory's biographical listings remained comprehensive.[13][14] By the 1940s, syndicated columns cited the volumes as a reference source for the African-American community.[15] [16]
Death and legacy
[edit source]Yenser died in New York on September 10, 1949, at the age of 83, while compiling the seventh edition of the directory.[1]
The publication rights to the series were later acquired by publisher Christian E. Burckel, who continued the directory using Yenser's compiled archives.[17] Volumes published during Yenser’s tenure are maintained at the Library of Congress and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and continue to be used in historic research.[18][19][20]
Selected publications
[edit source]- Who's Who in Colored America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Persons of African Descent in America. Brooklyn, New York: Thomas Yenser (Editor and publisher; managed editions 3–6, 1930–1944).
References
[edit source]- 1 2 Obituaries:
- "Thomas Nenser (sic) [Obituary]", The New York Times, September 15, 1949, p. 27. TimesMachine.
- Bethea, David. "Editor Of Negro 'Who's Who In America' Buried", The New York Age, October 15, 1949, p. 8. Library of Congress.
- "Final Rites Held For Thomas Yenser", The Detroit Tribune, October 1, 1949, p. 4. Library of Congress.
- "Who's Who Writer Buried In New York", The Voice (Lincoln, Nebraska), October 6, 1949, p. 1. Library of Congress.
- "Yenser... Dies", The Jackson Advocate, October 6, 1949, p. 1. Library of Congress.
- "Final Rites for Who's Who Publisher", The Miami Times (Miami, Florida), October 1, 1949, p. 7. Library of Congress
- 1 2 3 "Thomas Nenser (sic) [Obituary]". The New York Times. September 15, 1949. p. 27. TimesMachine. (Note: typo "Nenser" in original headline).
- 1 2 "Poor's Manual of Railroads". Poor's Publishing Company. 1922. via Internet Archive.
- ↑ "New "Who's Who" Ready in September". Atlanta Daily World. July 12, 1937. p. 2. Retrieved 2026-07-27 – via Digital Library of Georgia / Georgia Historic Newspapers.
- ↑ "Who's Who Editor Urges Cooperation". The Dayton Forum. September 30, 1938. p. 4 – via Chronicling America.
- 1 2 "Who's Who Editor Compiles Entries". The Omaha Guide. June 10, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-07-27 – via Chronicling America / Library of Congress.
- ↑ Press coverage:
- "Publisher Of Who's Who Seeks Oddities", New Journal and Guide, July 25, 1936, p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Who's Who Data Being Compiled", The Times-News (Hendersonville, NC), August 5, 1936, p. 1. Library of Congress.
- "Who's Who Editor Compiles Entries", The Northwest Enterprise, August 13, 1937, p. 1. Library of Congress.
- ↑ "Editor of Who's Who...". The Omaha Guide. December 17, 1938. p. 1 – via Chronicling America / Library of Congress.
- ↑ "Editor of Who's Who Requests Cooperation". The Gary American. December 16, 1938. p. 11 – via Chronicling America.
- ↑ Thomas Yenser, ed. (1944). Who's Who in Colored America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Persons of African Descent in America: 1941-to-1944 (6th ed.). Brooklyn, NY: Thomas Yenser. via Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture / New York Public Library.
- ↑ "State of Louisiana Buys 75 Copies of Colored Who's Who", Associated Negro Press, December 14, 1935 – via Library of Congress Historic American Newspapers.
- ↑ Additional press reports on the directory's expanded coverage:
- "Launch War Edition of Who's Who", Atlanta Daily World, March 2, 1943, p. 2 – via Chronicling America.
- "Who's Who Editor Prepares New Volume", The New York Age, October 24, 1942, p. 6. Retrieved 2026-07-27 – via Chronicling America / Library of Congress.
- "Who's Who Editor Prepares New Volume", The Jackson Advocate, March 2, 1943, p. 2. Retrieved 2026-07-27 – via Chronicling America / Library of Congress.
- ↑ "Who's Who Editor Here". The Pittsburgh Press. December 15, 1935. p. 1 – via Chronicling America.
- ↑ "Launch War Edition of Who's Who". Atlanta Daily World. March 2, 1943. p. 2 – via Chronicling America.
- ↑ Brown, W. Douglas. "What's the Answer". The Gazette. November 18, 1944. p. 4 – via Chronicling America.
- ↑ "Fifth Edition of Who's Who is Under Way". The Gary American. Gary, Indiana. Calvin's Newspaper Service. September 30, 1938. p. 7 – via Library of Congress.
- ↑ "Who's Who in Colored America Prepared". The Voice. Lincoln, NE. November 16, 1950. p. 2. Retrieved 2026-07-27 – via Chronicling America / Library of Congress.
- ↑ Thomas Yenser, ed. (1944). Who's Who in Colored America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Persons of African Descent in America: 1941-to-1944. Brooklyn, NY: Thomas Yenser. Retrieved 2026-07-27 – via Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture / New York Public Library.
- ↑ Eagles, Brenda M. (1986). "Davenport, William Henry". NCpedia. State Library of North Carolina.
- ↑ "No story left untold: Archiving the Black experience at Michigan." University of Michigan Giving. via Bentley Historical Library.
External links
[edit source]- Who's Who in Colored America at the New York Public Library Digital Collections