Rowan, Carl Thomas

1925-2000 · Contribution: 1948-1999

Journalist; government official; columnist

Became the highest-ranking African American in the U.S. government as director of the United States Information Agency under President Lyndon Johnson, then spent more than three decades as one of the nation’s most widely syndicated Black newspaper columnists

Press & Photography: collage image
Press & Photography

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Quick facts

Born
1925, Ravenscroft, Tennessee
Active since
1948
Category
Press & Photography
Best known for
Highest-ranking Black official in U.S. government of his era; widely syndicated columnist

Impact on the world

Rowan moved between journalism and the highest levels of government, breaking barriers in both, then spent three decades as one of the nation's most widely read Black columnists.

An alternative history

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Sources

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