Dutton Ferguson (1904-1980)[1] was an American editor, civil servant and civil rights activist.

Dutton Ferguson
Born1904 (1904)
Died1980 (aged 7576)
EducationHoward University (BA, 1929)
OccupationsNewspaper editor, civil servant, civil rights activist

Ferguson graduated from Howard University in 1929.[2] He was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.[3]

Ferguson was a founding member of the New Negro Alliance.[4] While picketing against unfair hiring practices, Ferguson was arrested with James Ward on September 26, 1933.[5][6] Eventually, the court sided with lawyers who argued that the law against carrying picket signs was unequally enforced in the case of Ferguson and Ward.[7][5]

By 1936, he was the editor of the Washington, D.C. Tribune.[2] Ferguson was also an editor of Flash! magazine which ran between 1937 and 1939.[8]

Starting in 1938, Ferguson served as an assistant to the Information Service of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).[9][10] His position at the WPA involved Information Services where he worked as an editor, prepared layouts, and handled research requests.[9] His office handled news releases for more than 250 Black newspapers throughout the country.[11] Later, he went on to work at the government's Office of Price Administration.[12]

Starting in 1942, Ferguson became an editor of Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life.[13] In 1947, he became the new editor-in-chief of Opportunity.[14]

During the 1950s, Ferguson was involved in community and neighborhood revitalization in Washington, D.C.[15] He worked with the Midway Civic Association.[16]

References

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  1. "Lot - (ART.) Locke, Alain; editor. The Negro in Art, signed by many of the featured artists". Swann Auction Galleries. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
  2. 1 2 Harris, Joseph E. (1994). African-American Reactions to War in Ethiopia, 1936-1941. Louisiana State University Press. pp. 45–46. ISBN 9780807118320.
  3. "Washington's Society Takes in Omega's All-Night Revel". Washington Afro American. 1938-11-12. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-11-03 via Newspapers.com.
  4. Fitzpatrick, Sandra; Goodwin, Maria R. (1990). A Guide to Black Washington: Places and Events of Historical and Cultural Significance in the Nation's Capital. New York: Hippocrene Books. p. 219. ISBN 978-0-87052-832-3 via Internet Archive.
  5. 1 2 Ware, Gilbert (1984). William Hastie: Grace Under Pressure. Internet Archive. New York : Oxford University Press. pp. 75–76. ISBN 978-0-19-503298-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  6. "Alliance Says Store Pickets Will Continue". The Afro-American. 1933-10-07. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-11-03 via Newspapers.com.
  7. Ware, Gilbert (1986). "The New Negro Alliance: "Don't Buy Where You Can't Work"". Negro History Bulletin. 49 (3): 6. ISSN 0028-2529 via JSTOR.
  8. "Former Editor of 'Flash' Gets WPA Appointment". The Chicago Defender. 1938-05-28. p. 10. Retrieved 2025-11-04 via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 Anderson, Harry B. (1938-11-12). "Meet Your Neighbor". Washington Afro American. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-11-03 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Dutton Ferguson New Editor of Opportunity". Atlanta Daily World. 1942-10-26. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-11-03 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Information Man". The Phoenix Index. 1940-10-26. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-11-03 via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Article clipped from Atlanta Daily World". Dutton Ferguson, of OPA Staff, to Speak Here Sunday. 1944-06-03. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-11-03 via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Opportunity Gets Dutton Ferguson". The Phoenix Index. 1942-08-15. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-11-04 via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Redesigned Opportunity Mag. Under New Editor, Dutton Ferguson, On the Newsstands". The New York Age. 1947-07-05. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-11-03 via Newspapers.com.
  15. "8 Men 2 Women on Afro Honor Roll". The New York Age. 1947-07-05. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-11-03 via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Star Trophy Given to Midway Group for Civic Achievements". Evening star. 1954-12-17. p. 18. Retrieved 2025-11-03 via Newspapers.com.