February 6, 1905Born to Charles Edward and Myrtle (Katora) Tate in Blanchard, MI19181920Attended Blanchard School for two years1923Battle Creek High School honor graduate and winner of first place in the Hynman Oratorical contest1927Graduated from Western Normal College/Western Michigan University with a B.A.19271932Teacher Crispus Attucks High School1930Graduated from Columbia University, NY with a M.A.1931Awarded a diploma in International Studies from Geneva, Switzerland School.1932Awarded Alpha Kappa Alpha foreign scholar award19341935Phelps-Stokes grant recipient1935Awarded B.Litt. from Oxford University, England. First African American woman to enroll in Oxford where she studied European diplomatic history.19351936Dean of Women, teacher of history Barber-Scotia College, Concord, NC19361941Chairman Division of Social Science Bennett College, Greensboro, NC1939Awarded Rosenwald fellowship19411942Faculty member Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD1941Earned a Ph.D. from Radcliffe College/Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. First African American woman to earn a doctorate in Government and International relations1942Published
The Disarmament Illusion: The Movement for a Limitation of Armaments to 190719421975Faculty of Diplomatic History and International relations Howard University, Washington, DC1948Recipient Outstanding Achievement Award, National Urban League Published The United States and Armaments Represented United States at UNESCO at seminar held at Lake Success and Adelphi CollegeJune 6, 1949Delivered Commencement address at Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD19501951Fulbright lecturer India served as a visiting professor at Rabindranath Tagore’s World University at Santiniketan, West Bengal. Lectured in eleven different Indian universities and college in Ceylon, and for the United States Information Services in Rangoon, Burma1953Summer Faculty Wayne State University, Indiana. Distinguished Professor Service Award, Radcliffe College Alumnae Association19531958Vice president Radcliffe of Washington, DC1954Listed among Who’s Who Among American Women Received Radcliffe College Alumnae Association Graduate Chapter Medal for distinguished achievement in the field of history.1955Visiting lecturer Western Michigan UniversityMarch 89, 1957Attended the Middle East Association spring meeting in Washington, DCApril 4, 1957Attended the League of Women’s Voters, One Day School19581959Sabbatical from Howard University conducted research in Hawaii, Fiji, Australia and New Zealand1959Research grantee American Council of Learned Society1960Washington Evening Star award1961Rockefeller Foundation research grant1962Recipient of summer grant-in-aid from the President’s committee, Howard University1963Granted honorary LL.D from Morgan State University, MD1965Published
The United States and the Hawaiian Kingdom1967Member Screening community for United Kingdom Institute of International Education1968Published
Hawaii: Reciprocity or Annexation1969Named most distinguished citizen of Isabella County, MI.1970Distinguished Alumni award from Western Michigan University1971Merze Tate graduate fellowship established at Radcliffe CollegeOctober 22, 1972Listed among “Two Thousand Women of Achievement,” London, England1973Established trust fund for Western Michigan University1973Published Diplomacy in the Pacific: A Collection of Twenty-Seven Articles on Diplomacy in the Pacific and Influence of the Sandwich (Hawaiian) Islands Missionaries1975Visiting Trustee Radcliffe Graduate Institute1976Graduate School Council Award for Outstanding Contribution to Howard University Graduate Education1976Served on the advisory council for the Black Women’s Oral History Project1976Travelled to South Africa as the guest of select South African corporations and universities while conducting research on railways1977Established Merze Tate scholarship Western Michigan University Endowed annual Merze Tate Diplomatic History Seminar Howard University Retired from Howard University1978Awarded honorary LL.D from Lincoln University, PA. Spirit of Detroit award by the Mayor of Detroit Award American Black Artist’s Pioneer Award, Detroit, MI1980Received the Radcliffe College Alumnae Association Graduate Chapter Distinguished professional achievement medal Prometheans Inc. honorary life membership award, only woman member1981Funded the Merze Tate Center for Research and Information Processing, Western Michigan University1986Awarded honorary Doctor of Humane letters from Howard University, Washington, DC1989Published
Mineral Railways in AfricaJune 27, 1996Died from cardiac arrest. Buried in Pine River Cemetery near Blanchard, MIFrom the guide to the Merze Vernie Tate Papers, 1906-1995, (Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University)