African American man wearing a suit, standing by Booker T. Washington's tombstone at Tuskegee University. Booker Taliaferro Washington was born April 5, 1856 in Hale�s Ford, Franklin County, Virginia, and died November 14, 1915 in Tuskegee, Alabama. He was an American educator, author, orator, and political leader. He founded Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in Alabama (now known as Tuskegee University). From the university's website: Booker T. Washington's funeral on November 17, 1915 was held in the Tuskegee Institute Chapel, and was attended by nearly 8,000 people. He was buried on campus in a brick tomb, made by students, on a hill commanding a view of the entire campus.