Biography of Alex Haley

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Biography of Alex Haley

Alex Haley’s was born Alex Murray Palmer Haley on August 11, 1921, in Ithaca, New York. Alex’s parents were Simon and Bertha Haley. His father was a World War I veteran and also a graduate student of agriculture from Cornell University. His mother was a school teacher. For the first five years of Alex’s life, he lived with his mother and grandparents in rural Henning, Tennessee while his father finished his degree in agriculture. Alex always said that he was very proud of his father. According to Bio TrueStory, Alex once stated,” I was very proud to watch my father overcome the immense obstacles of racism to achieve high levels of success and provide better opportunities for his children.”

Alex Haley was a bright and gifted student. He graduated at the age of fifteen and enrolled at Alcorn A&M College as we know now as Alcorn State University in Mississippi where he was the most undistinguished freshman. After one year at Alcorn State University, he transferred to Elizabeth City State Teachers College in North Carolina. In 1939, at the age of 17, Alex quit...

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