John Henry Brodhead


John Henry Brodhead is often regarded as one of the first African American pioneers in the field of psychology. He was an educator in the Philadelphia school system, known for his work in a number of movements and organizations which promoted Black education.

Early life

Brodhead was born in Washington, New Jersey, to Robert and Elizabeth Brodhead.

Education and Career

Brodhead graduated from the West Chester State Normal school in Pennsylvania, in 1919. Upon graduating from West Chester, he went directly to work in the Philadelphia school system as a teacher and principal.
Brodhead later attended Temple University, where he received a PhD in educational psychology in 1937. Shortly after, he became the principal of General John F. Reynolds School, one of the largest schools in Philadelphia at the time.
Brodhead was a teacher and principal in the Philadelphia school system from 1919 to 1951.
Brodhead was also known for occupying leadership positions in a number of educational organizations. He served as the president of the Association of Pennsylvania Teachers, the New Era Educational Association, and the Pennsylvania Educational Association.
In 1949, he was elected president of the American Teachers’ Association.
Brodhead was also a charter member of the Philadelphia Commission on Participation of Negroes in National Defense, as well as the chairman of the Citizens Committee for Integration of Negro Nurses. Brodhead’s work in this committee ultimately led to the admittance of black nursing trainees into the Philadelphia General Hospital.

Dissertation

Brodhead completed his dissertation, “The Educational and Socio-Economic Status of the Negro in the Secondary Schools of Pennsylvania,” at Temple University in 1937.

Affiliations

American Teachers’ Association
New Era Educational Association
Pennsylvania Educational Association
Association of Pennsylvania Teachers
Philadelphia Commission on Participation of Negroes in National Defense
Citizens Committee for Integration of Negro Nurses

Footnotes