People, Locations, Episodes

Pierre Landry, Lawyer born

*On this date we recognize the birth of Pierre Landry, a Black editor, chef, politician, and lawyer, born in 1841.

He was the slave son of his owner, born in Donaldsonville, LA As a young boy, he lived with a local free Black couple, attended a school for free Blacks on his father/owner’s plantation, and learned the skills to become a chef. Upon the death of his owner in 1854, Landry was sold as part of a disposition of the estate. With his new owner, he served as property superintendent, pastry chef, and plantation store manager.

George Ruby, Politician, and Teacher born

*The birth of George Ruby is celebrated on this date in 1841. He was a Black teacher, journalist, and politician. George Thompson Ruby was born in New York City. His parents were the Rev. Ebenezer Ruby and Jemima Ruby, though their son would claim that his father was an aristocratic white man. He was mulatto. Ruby […]

Prigg v. Pennsylvania is Decided

*On this date in 1842, Prigg v. Pennsylvania was decided.  This was a United States Supreme Court case in which the court held that the federal Fugitive Slave Act (1793) precluded a Pennsylvania state law that prohibited Blacks from being taken from the free state of Pennsylvania into slavery. The Court overturned the conviction of slavecatcher Edward Prigg as a result.   Occurring under the presidency of John […]

William Carney, Military Officer born

*William Carney was born on this date in 1842. He was a Black military officer.

From Norfolk, Virginia, his mother was held in captivity with her free husband at the time of his birth. During Carney’s early childhood, he received some schooling by a minister in secret. After the death of his mother’s master in 1856, the entire family moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts. There on the wharf as a teenager William H. Carney assisted his father who joined many other freed Blacks who worked at sea.

William D. Coleman, Politician born.

*William D. Coleman was born on this date in 1842. He was a Black Americo-Liberian politician. Of mixed race, William David Coleman was born into slavery in Fayette County, Kentucky. He emigrated to Liberia with his family when he was 11 years old. Upon their arrival, the family consisted of William, his widowed mother Ellen, and three […]

Robert B. Elliott, Soldier, and Politician born

On this date, we remember Robert Brown Elliott, a Black lawyer, politician, and military officer born in 1842.

Elliot was born and educated in Liverpool, England. After serving in the British navy, Elliott arrived in Boston in 1867. Robert Elliott was a brilliant lawyer who was admitted to the South Carolina bar and elected to the South Carolina legislature in 1868 during Reconstruction. In March 1869, Elliott was appointed assistant adjutant-general, becoming the first black commanding general of the South Carolina National Guard.

Josiah T. Walls, Politician born

Josiah Walls was born on this date in 1842. He was a Black soldier, teacher, and politician. He has the awkward distinction of twice being unseated in Congress by opponents who challenged the election.

Adam Paine, Black Seminole Soldier born

*The birth of Adam Paine is celebrated on this date in 1843.  He was a Black Seminole who served in the United States Army.   Sometimes referred to as Adam Payne, he was born in Florida.  Paine enlisted in the Army at Fort Duncan, Texas, in November 1873 and joined other Black Seminoles known as the “Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts.”   Col. R. S. Mackenzie’s […]

Joseph Cheeseman, Politician born.

*Joseph Cheeseman was born on this date in 1843. He was a Black African politician. Born in Edina in Grand Bassa County, Liberia, Joseph James Cheeseman was the son of Rev. John H. Cheeseman and Martha Cheeseman.  He was educated at Liberia College (now the University of Liberia). In the decades after 1868, escalating economic difficulties […]

Joseph Clovese, Union Soldier, born

*Joseph Clovese was born on this date in 1844. He was a Black soldier in the Union Army. Born a slave in Louisiana, Clovese worked as a child in the plantation house in St. Bernard Parish. Considered a favorite, he was taught reading and writing. A friend convinced him to run away just before he […]

James O’Hara, Congressman born

*This date in 1844 marks the birth of James Edward O’Hara. He was a Black politican, representing North Carolina’s forty-eighth and forty-ninth congresses.

The son of an Irish merchant, O’Hara was born in New York City and attended public schools there. In 1862 he moved to North Carolina with a group of missionaries and began studying law. In June of 1871 O’Hara was admitted to the North Carolina Bar, starting practice in Enfield and Halifax County. He also served as a secretary for the Freedmen’s Bureau.

The Dominican Republic Gains Independence From Haiti

*The Dominican Republic gained independence from Haiti on this date in 1844. At the beginning of the 1800s, the colony of Santo Domingo, which had once been the headquarters of Spanish power in the New World, was in decline. During this time, Spain was embroiled in various wars to maintain control of the Americas. With […]

Charles E. Nash, Congressman born

This date in 1844 marks the birth of Charles Edmund Nash, a Black politician.

Born in Opelousas, LA, he attended common schools and was a bricklayer in New Orleans before enlisting in Company A of the 82nd Regiment. In 1865, during the last battle of the Civil War at Fort Blakely, AL, he was severely wounded, losing part of his right leg. Four years later, he was appointed night inspector in the New Orleans Custom House. Local Republicans apparently concluded that Nash’s wartime heroics made him an attractive candidate for public office.

George Hezekiah Imes, Soldier born

*George Hezekiah Imes was born on this date in 1844.  He was a soldier and minister. Imes enlisted as a Private in the American Civil War from Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and mustered into Company D, 43rd United States Colored Infantry on March 11, 1864, at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Appointed Corporal on April 1, 1864. Promoted to Sergeant on […]

James A. Fields, Teacher, and Lawyer born

The birth of James A. Fields, a Black teacher and lawyer, in 1844 is celebrated on this date.

Born a slave in Hanover County, VA, James Apostles Fields cared for the the horses of white lawyers in Hanover County when they arrived for work. In 1862, during the Civil War, Fields and his brother George ran away from slavery. After the war ended, he entered Hampton Institute in Virginia and was a member of its first class of graduates in 1871 and became a teacher.