Singer, Actor, Athlete, Activist
Born: April 9, 1898, in Princeton, New Jersey
Died: January 23, 1976, in Philadelphia
New Jersey Hall of Fame, Class of 2009: Historical

A 20th-century Renaissance man, Paul Robeson gained international renown as a theatrical and concert performer and for his unflinching advocacy for social justice and human dignity worldwide.

Robeson’s father, William Drew “W.D.” Robeson, escaped slavery in North Carolina at age 15 by way of the Underground Railroad. After earning a theology degree, he became the minister of an all-Black Presbyterian congregation in Princeton. Robeson’s his mother, born Maria Louisa Bustill, was a Quaker schoolteacher and the descendant of an enslaved great-grandfather. Maria died in a house fire when Robeson was six. After her death, W.D. led congregations in Westfield and Somerville.

Robeson attended Somerville High School, where he performed Shakespeare, sang in the chorus, and—in the face of racist taunts—excelled in football, basketball, baseball, and track. Named class valedictorian, he earned an academic scholarship to Rutgers University. Entering Rutgers in 1915, he became the university’s third African American student, and the only one at that time. He joined the debating team; played four sports (earning all-American honors in football as a junior and senior); and once again graduated class valedictorian.

After briefly studying law at NYU, Robeson transferred to Columbia Law School, where he met his future wife, Eslanda Goode, who coaxed him to pursue a theatrical career. Postponing school, he landed several stage roles and also began playing professional football for early NFL teams in Akron, Ohio, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Returning to school, he earned his law degree in 1923.

Robeson briefly practiced law, but his focus quickly turned back to the stage. With his imposing stature (he stood 6-foot-3) and his booming bass-baritone voice, Robeson made a quick impression on audiences in New York and London, triumphing in both theater capitals in “The Emperor Jones.” In London in 1928, he first performed his signature song, “Ol’ Man River,” in the musical “Show Boat.”

In 1930, Robeson had a notable success playing the lead in “Othello” on the London stage. (Thirteen years later, he became the first Black actor to play “Othello” on Broadway.) For most of the 1930s, Robeson lived in London, performing in plays and in recitals throughout Europe. In 1933, he returned to the United States to make the film version of “The Emperor Jones,” a rare production featuring an African American in the lead role.

In all, Robeson made 15 films (including documentaries and silent films); recorded numerous albums of spirituals, folk music, political songs, and American standards; and performed concerts for packed houses on multiple continents. But he also became known for his admiration of the Soviet Union and his outspoken advocacy for disadvantaged populations worldwide. In the post-war years, his political activism made him the target of several Congressional investigations.

Amid the paranoia of the Cold War, Robeson was virtually blacklisted from performing; his films and recordings were removed from circulation; and for much of the 1950s, his passport was revoked, making it impossible for Robeson to perform lucrative concert dates in Europe. After his passport was restored in 1958, Robeson made a triumphant return to concert stages in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Soon, however, his health began to decline and he spent much of his last two decades in quiet seclusion.

In 1978, the United Nations posthumously honored Robeson for his efforts to end apartheid in South Africa. He also was honored posthumously with an Academy Award in 1980 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998. In New Jersey, the campus library at Rutgers-Camden is named for Robeson, as is the campus center at Rutgers-Newark. At the main Rutgers campus in New Brunswick, the Paul Robeson Cultural Center was named in his honor, and eight black granite panels detail Robeson’s life in an open-air plaza that bears his name.