Arthur B. Spingarn (1878-1971) was a lawyer, chairman of the NAACP national legal committee, and vice-president (1911-40) and president of the NAACP (1940-66). He collected books about African Americans, and founded the Spingarn Collection of Negro Literature at Howard University. The collection consists of letters to Spingarn from friends and authors, and book reviews collected by him relating to his collection of books about African Americans.

Spingarn was born on March 28, 1878 in New York City; AB (1897), AM (1899), and LL.B (1900), Columbia University; LL.D, Howard University, 1941; L.H.D., Long Island University, 1966; practiced law beginning in 1900; chairman of national legal committee, and vice-president (1911-40) and president, NAACP (1940-66); became collector of books about African Americans; member of bibliographic societies in London, Oxford, Cambridge, and Virginia; founded the Spingarn Collection of Negro Literature at Howard University; he died on December 1, 1971.

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