Alabama A&M University: Founded in 1875

Subscribe to us on:

Founded in 1875 - Location: Huntsville, AL

Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University is located in Huntsville, AL and is the largest HBCU in Alabama.

With over 6,000 students, currently, Alabama A&M offers degrees in computer science, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, education and more.

The school was really established through an act of the state’s legislature in 1873.  It was then was founded in 1875 and Dr. William Hooper Councill was appointed as its leader.  Despite being born into slavery and being sold on the auction block when he was just 9, along with his family, Dr. Councill would grow up to be a newspaper founder, to become active in politics, he studied law and would become the first principal and eventually president of the institution that would become Alabama A&M University.

Today Alabama A&M separates its educational offerings under four colleges:

  • College of Agricultural, Life and Natural Sciences

  • College of Engineering, Technology and Physical Sciences

  • College of Education, Humanities and Behavioral Sciences and

  • College of Business and Public Affairs

Some notable alumni who either attended Alabama A&M or graduated from there:

John Stallworth, who is a Hall of Fame wide receiver and who played 14 seasons with the Pittsburg Steelers.  He is considered one of the greatest wide receivers of all-time.  He played his college football at Alabama A&M University.

Sun Ra, who was a jazz pianist, bandleader and composer and who is considered to be a pioneer in Afrofuturism.  Born in 1914, he grew up, in many ways, with various aspects of jazz and made his impact on the music in a very cosmic way.

Jospeh Lowery who was a giant in the Civil Rights Movement.  He was the pastor of the Warren Street United Methodist Church in the early 1950s, in Mobile, AL, when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in Montgomery and the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott took place. He was a founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, along with Martin Luther King, Jr. He later led the SCLC for over 20 years from the 1970s into the 1990s.

Alabama A&M University, like so many HBCUs, offers an opportunity for students to educate themselves and kickoff their careers to new heights right there in Normal- Northeastern Alabama.

Danita Smith