The students of the Radical University: Drayton H. Maffett

Drayton Hardy Maffett (b. March 10, 1857, d. April 24, 1939)
South Carolina.  Black/Mulatto.
Occupation: city employee, laborer, soldier, teacher.

Drayton H. Maffett was born in Newberry, South Carolina to Robert and Madeline Jones Maffett.  Little is known about Maffett's early life.

Maffett first appears in the historical record in 1876.  He is listed in the January 1876 University of South Carolina catalogue as a freshman from Newberry following the modern studies track.  The university closed before he finished his degree.

After the university closure, Maffett moved to Atlanta and attended Atlanta University. He attended the university from 1878-80, entering as a junior.  At AU, he was joined by a large number of former U of SC students.  He attended classes with Benjamin F. Hartwell.  He was awarded the university's first B.S. degree in 1880.

After graduating from Atlanta University, Maffett moved to Washington DC.  By 1883, he was working as a laborer in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (in the Treasury Department).  He attended law school at Howard University for the 1883-84 academic year, but Howard does not have a record of him receiving a degree.  (The law school was a 2 year program.)

Maffett enlisted in the U.S. Army on October 4, 1890.  He served as a private in Troop G of the 9th U.S. Cavalry Regiment and as a sergeant in Troop K of the 10th U.S. Cavalry.  The soldiers in the 10th Cavalry were the celebrated "buffalo soldiers."  Maffett was honorably discharged from the military in March 1894.

Maffett served in the military during the end of the American Indian Wars, and he spent time stationed in the American Southwest and Great Plains. He remained in the region after he left the army, living in Tucson, Arizona and Guthrie, Oklahoma.

By 1904, he had moved to Philadelphia and was working as a laborer.  He died in 1939 of a stroke ("apoplexy") and is buried in Philadelphia National Cemetery.

Sources
1). Interment Control Forms, 1928–1962. Interment Control Forms, A1 2110-B. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985, Record Group 92. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland

2). Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

3). Adams, Myron W.  General Catalogue of Atlanta University, 1867-1918.  Atlanta University Press.  1918.

4). Catalogue of Atlanta University, 1899-1900.  Atlanta University Press.  1900.

5). "Returns From Regular Army Cavalry Regiments 1866-1916". National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Washington, D.C. Archive Publication Number: M744.  Roll Number: 90, 98.

6). Register of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M233, 81 rolls); Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780’s-1917, Record Group 94; National Archives, Washington, DC.

7). Washington, District of Columbia, City Directory, 1885

8) Registers of Enlistments in the United States Army, 1798-1914. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Washington, D.C. Records Group: 94. Roll: MIUSA1798_102904.