Robeson's Biographical Information

early life

Born in Princeton, New Jersey on April 9, 1898, Paul Robeson was the son of Reverend William Drew Robeson and Maria Louisa Bustill Robeson. When Paul was born his father was the pastor of Witherspoon Church, and his mother was a former teacher who could not teach because of cataracts and severe asthma. His mother died on January 19, 1904, and Paul and his siblings were left to be reared by their father, and the family relocated to Westfield, New Jersey, where his father was pastor of the St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, which he built when he moved the family to Westfield.

The Robeson children were reared in a home where their father expected them to be stellar students. Paul's father pushed for him to have an understanding of classic literature and Latin, but his older siblings also took great care to push his intellectual development when they were home from university.

During Robeson's senior year in high school, he learned about an examination which offered a four-year scholarship to Rutgers College as its prize. He and his father heavily prepared for this examination, after realizing Paul's principal had deliberately failed to inform him about the exam, and he won the scholarship to Rutgers.

life as a student at Rutgers College & Columbia University

Robeson's wife, Eslanda Cardozo Goode, at graduation from Columbia University, from the personal collection of Paul Robeson, Jr., 1916

In September of 1915 Paul Robeson began attending Rutgers College, becoming the third Black student to attend the university. At Rutgers, after initial discouragement, he joined the football team, and would also join the basketball, baseball, and track team during the course of his college career. Robeson also served on the ROTC (Reserved Officers Training Corps), was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, and participated on debate team. When he graduated in June, 1919, Robeson had been inducted into the Cap and Skull Society, and was valedictorian of his class.

After graduating from Rutgers, Robeson enrolled at New York University (NYU) Law school in fall 1919, but quit after feeling out of place at the university. He found himself drawn to Harlem, and enrolled at Columbia Law School in the spring of 1920. It was during his years at Columbia that Robeson began to become engaged in political discourse in Harlem, and also where he met Eslanda Cardozo Good (Essie), who he married on August 17, 1921, keeping their marriage a secret for several months. After announcing their marriage, Robeson helped to support his family by playing football for the Akron Pros and Milwaukee Badgers on the weekends, while attending law school during the week. He finished his law degree in February of 1923.

life as an entertainer

Robeson with Princess Kouka in Jericho, Egypt, 1937, from the personal collection of Paul Robeson, Jr.

After finishing his degree, Robeson got a job at a law firm which specialized in estates and wills, headed by Louis W. Stotesbury. After several incidents and mistreatments at the firm, Robeson appealed to Stotesbury, who explained that he would face these prejudices in practicing law with white clients, but offered him the opportunity to head a branch of the firm in Harlem. It was then that Robeson resigned, and began to pursue a career in the theater.

He began his theatrical career singing in the chorus of the vaudeville act, Plantation Revue, but did not put his heart into the show which he felt was full of stereotypes. After leaving Plantation Revue, through contacts, Robeson got in touch with playwright Eugene O’Neill, and was ultimately offered the lead in All God’s Chillun Got Wings. During the course of his theatrical career he performed in many plays, with his lead in Shakespeare’s Othello being one of his most famous roles.

During Robeson’s career as a stage actor, he also had a career as a concert singer, recording artist, and film star. See: Paul Robeson's Works

life as an activist-intellectual

While Paul Robeson’s life as an activist-intellectual is not separate from his career as an entertainer, it was his political beliefs and activism which troubled his career and caused his legacy to become relatively obscure. Robeson staunchly believed in the freedom of Black Americans, fighting against lynching and other forms of oppression. He is also noted for his strong support of communism, an ally of the Soviet Union for years.

As a result of Robeson's activism, Communist membership, and affiliation with the Soviet Union, he was targeted by Joseph McCarthy and denied a passport for several years during the 1950s. In spite of the setbacks, Robeson continued to advocate for the rights of Black Americans, maintaining a relationship with the Soviet Union for many years.

For more information see: Domestic Activism | International Activism

late life

During the late years of Robeson's life he suffered from depression, and died on January 23, 1976, in Philadelphia. Posthumously, Robeson was inducted into the Rutgers Sports Hall of Fame in 1988, and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995. In 1998 his 100th birthday was celebrated in several cities. And on January 20, 2004, the United States Postal Service released a commeroative stamp in Princeton, New Jersey after several years of campaigning for the stamp.