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Spaulding, Charles Clinton (1874-1952)

Charles Clinton Spaulding, one of the most successful and influential African American business men of the 20th century, was born August 1, 1874 on a farm near Whiteville, North Carolina. His parents,
Benjamin McIver and Margaret Moore Spaulding of free ancestry, were
prosperous landowners and respected leaders in their community. As a
young boy, Charles spent most of his time working on the farm.

In 1921 Charles Spaulding assumed leadership of Mechanics and Farmers Bank, which was an offshoot of North Carolina Mutual. He also
headed the Mutual Building and Loan Association and was vice president
and chairman of the Bankers Fire Insurance Company and the Southern
Fidelity Mutual Insurance Company, respectively. Spaulding became
president of North Carolina Mutual in 1923, after the death of his
uncle. By the mid-1920s, Mutual and its various satellite enterprises
led to Durham, North Carolina being designated the capital of the black
middle class. In 1926 Spaulding received the Harmon Foundation Award
for Achievement in Business.
Sources:
“Charles Clinton Spaulding” in Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed.
17 Vols. (Detroit: Gale Research, 1998); “Charles Clinton Spaulding” in
Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 5: 1951-1955 (New
York:
American Council of Learned Societies, 1977).