A rich legacy.

A promising future.

The Leadership and Vision of James Solomon Russell


James Solomon Russell (1857–1935) was a dynamic educator, devoted minister, and relentless advocate for African American advancement. His life stands as proof of the transformational power of education and faith. 


Born into slavery in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, Russell was an only child whose parents were forced to live part due to the conditions of the times. Reunited after the Civil War the Russel family lived a life of economic hardship, often requiring James to leave the classroom to work and to support his family before resuming his academic studies. Despite these challenges, he eventually attended Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University). He later continued his preparation for ministry at Bishop Payne Divinity School in Petersburg and was ordained a deacon in 1882 and a priest in 1887.

In Lawrenceville, Russell recognized a profound need for educational opportunity. On September 24, 1888, he founded Saint Paul’s Normal and Industrial School with fewer than a dozen students, convinced of its future impact. Under his leadership, Saint Paul’s grew rapidly. By 1895, enrollment had reached 348, and by 1904 the campus comprised 1,700 acres and nearly thirty buildings, many constructed by students as part of the industrial curriculum. Academic subjects such as history, literature, and algebra were taught alongside trades training in masonry, carpentry, blacksmithing, printing, and agriculture.


Russell  also understood the need for on-going fundraising, securing support from philanthropists including John D. Rockefeller and Julius Rosenwald. In 1905, he helped organize the Saint Paul Farmers’ Conference to promote Black economic development, land ownership, and community self-sufficiency. Within the Episcopal Church, he challenged restrictions on African American clergy and served as the first Archdeacon of Colored Work in the Diocese of Southern Virginia. When offered the position of Suffragan Bishop from two different dioceses, he declined in order to continue his work at St. Paul’s College  until his retirement in 1929.

James Solomon Russell's  life demonstrates that visionary leadership—grounded in faith, education, and opportunity—can transform communities for generations. His spirit drives the mission of Saint Paul’s Leadership Institute: to serve people who refuse to be defined by economic hardship, lack of opportunity, or generational disadvantage.

Portrait of a man in a dark suit with a patterned vest, looking to the side.

James Solomon Russell refused to let the circumstances of his birth, the instability of Reconstruction, or the racial barriers of his time limit his vision for what was possible.

Founding by Russell

On September 24, 1888, James Solomon Russell of the Protestant Episcopal Church founded the Saint Paul Normal and Industrial School, with fewer than a dozen students. The school was intended chiefly to develop African-American teachers, a critical and prestigious job in the late 19th and early 20th-century South. In 1914, the school boasted that "The location of the school in the heart of the Black Belt of Virginia, with a Negro population of 100,000 almost at its very doors, is most favorable for the prosecution of uplift work."

Changing Times

In 1941 the name of the institution was changed to Saint Paul's Polytechnic Institute when the state granted the school authority to offer a four-year program. The first bachelor's degree was awarded in 1944. In 1957 the college adopted its present name to reflect its liberal arts and teacher education curricula.

End of an Era, Beginning of Another

In June 2012, the college era concluded and the campus was sold. Alumni began a discernment process on how to carry on James Solomon Russell's legacy. 

Saint Paul's Leadership Institute

A dedicated alumni network, creativity, and prayer led to the creation of the Saint Paul's Leadership Institute in 2020, including the purchase of SPLI's current facility at 300 North Main Street in Lawrenceville VA.


SPLI is now engaged in discernment and necessary expansion to reignite James Solomon Russell's vision for the current era.