Dr. Vernon McDaniel (1907?-2000) was an African-American educator who was principal of Booker T. Washington High School from 1934 to 1944. In 1941 he was the plaintiff in a federal NAACP lawsuit against the Escambia County School Board to mandate equal pay for black teachers. Realizing the court would decide for McDaniel, the school board agreed to a settlement that would equalize salaries over a three-year period. He was dismissed from his position three years later.
| Vernon McDaniel | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1907? |
| Died | November 2, 2000 Pensacola |
| Occupation | Educator |
| Spouse | Mildred McDaniel |
McDaniel later traveled and advised politicians (including President John F. Kennedy, whom he met with two days before his assassination) about desegregation and civil rights issues in education. He became a professor at Tuskegee University and in 1965 earned a doctorate in education from New York University. He then served as vice-president of Bishop College in Dallas from 1967-75.
McDaniel returned to Pensacola in 1975 and ran for the School Board, becoming the first African-American to be elected to the position and then the its first African-American chairman.
The school district's Vernon McDaniel Building on Garden Street was named for him on October 5, 2000. He passed away less than a month later, on November 2, at age 93.
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