Alex Haley was born in Ithaca, New York, on August 11, 1921, but was mostly raised in Tennessee, along with his parents and four siblings. His father worked as a professor at Alabama A&M University. He later attended college at Alcorn State University and Elizabeth City State College before dropping out to spend several years with the U.S. Coast Guard.
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After World War II, he transferred his role to becoming a journalist. He worked as an editor at Reader’s Digest, but it was his Playboy interviews with figures like Malcolm X that brought him notoriety. His collaboration with Malcolm X produced The Autobiography of Malcolm X in 1965, now considered one of the most influential nonfiction works of the 20th century.
In 1976, he penned Roots: The Saga of an American Family, the landmark novel tracing his ancestry from West Africa through slavery in the United States. It became a cultural phenomenon, winning a Pulitzer Prize and inspiring a historic television miniseries. Haley spent his later years writing, speaking, and promoting genealogical research until he died in 1992.
Alex Haley Landmarks in Tennessee
Alex Haley Museum and Interpretive Center, Henning
The bungalow-style house outside of Memphis was built around 1918 by Will E. Palmer, who was the maternal grandfather of Alex Haley. Haley lived in this ten-room house from 1921 to 1929 with his grandparents, Will E. and Cynthia Palmer.
It was on the front porch of this house that young Haley heard the oral histories and family stories told by his grandmother and other relatives. Those stories became the inspiration for his work on Roots. The house was restored and opened to the public as a museum in the mid-1980s. After Haley’s death in 1992, he was buried on the grounds of his boyhood home. Admission is $10 for adults.
Alex Haley Farm, Clinton
The Alex Haley Farm is a roughly 157-acre property in Clinton, about 25–30 miles north of Knoxville. Alex Haley purchased this farm in 1984. It has a farmhouse originally from the 1800s, a barn, and guest cottages.
After Haley’s death in 1992, the farm was sold in 1994 to the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF). Since then, the CDF has transformed the farm into a retreat center, training ground, and community/spiritual-advocacy hub with two buildings designed by architect Maya Lin.
Alex Haley Heritage Square, Knoxville
Alex Haley Heritage Square is a public park and memorial space located on the slopes of Morningside Park in East Knoxville. The centerpiece is a 13-foot-tall bronze statue of Alex Haley, sculpted by the acclaimed artist Tina Allen. The surrounding park also has playgrounds and walking trails.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
The archive is part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives within UTK’s John C. Hodges Library. The collection includes manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, cassette tapes, videotapes, trial transcripts, research materials, and other ephemera related to Haley’s career and life.
Other selections of his archives can be found at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center at the Special Collections and Archives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the Keeper of the Word Foundation in Detroit, Michigan.
Other Alex Haley Landmarks
Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial, Annapolis, Maryland
The Memorial sits at the head of the City Dock in historic downtown Annapolis, where, according to the story told by Alex Haley in his book Roots, his African ancestor Kunta Kinte was brought ashore in 1767 after being transported on the slave ship Lord Ligonier.
Alcorn State University, Lorman, Mississippi
It was founded in 1871, making it the first Black land-grant college established in the United States. Alex Haley enrolled at Alcorn State, then known as Alcorn A&M College, at the age of 15. He stayed only about a year before transferring to another historically Black college, but he was honored with a posthumous honorary degree.
Alex Haley Birthplace Memorial & Historical Marker, Ithaca, New York
The memorial park, established in 1992, includes a carved granite marker and a hand-wrought iron bench created in part by community members. The design references both Haley’s work and African-American heritage. The nearby public pool is also named for Haley.
Elizabeth City State College, North Carolina
It began in 1891 as the State Colored Normal School at Elizabeth City, created to train Black teachers for common schools in North Carolina. After a few years, at around age 18 in 1939, Haley left college to enlist in the military.
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