#VoicesFromTheStacks
The Philip G. Hubbard Papers (RG99.0248) document the career of a legendary educator and administrator of the University of Iowa. Born in Macon, Missouri in 1921, Hubbard’s family moved to the Des Moines area so Philip and his siblings could attend integrated schools. Following high school graduation in 1939 and having worked as a shoe shiner to save money for school, he pursued his undergraduate degree at the University of Iowa. During 1943—his third year of classes—Hubbard enlisted in the Army Reserves. Earning an army certification in electrical engineering and excelling in officer’s training, Francis M. Dawson, Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Iowa arranged for Hubbard’s discharge from the service to conduct research at Iowa.
Hubbard continued with his studies and graduated with honors in 1947 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He became the first black faculty member on campus, appointed as a research engineer. He earned two more degrees from the University: an M.A. in mechanics and hydraulics in 1949 and a doctorate in engineering in 1954. Hubbard taught mechanics and hydraulics from 1954 to 1966, and through his Hubbard Instrument Company, worked with the military and companies such as GE and GM.
A proponent for civil rights and equality, Hubbard was an advocate for fair housing legislation in Iowa City, particularly against housing discrimination. In 1966, Hubbard became the Dean of Academic Affairs and was an influential figure during anti-war protests that rocked the Iowa campus in the 1960s and 70s. In 1971, he became the Vice President of Student Services and the first black VP of a Big Ten institution.
His papers at the University of Iowa reflect the dynamic career of an academic and administrator as well as snapshots of his life as an activist in civil rights, veteran, alumni, and family man. Hubbard and his wife Wynonna married in 1943 and raised five children. Philip Hubbard wrote an autobiography My Iowa Journey: The Life Story of the University of Iowa’s first African-American Professor, available in our stacks in the Englander and Iowa Authors Collections.
--Laura
Philip G. Hubbard Papers (RG99.0248)
