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BlackPast is dedicated to providing a global audience with reliable and accurate information on the history of African America and of people of African ancestry around the world. We aim to promote greater understanding through this knowledge to generate constructive change in our society.

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Tag: Government – Local – Alderman

Edward A. Johnson (1860-1944)

Edward Austin Johnson was a businessman, historian, educator, lawyer and politician. Born enslaved in Raleigh, N.C. on November 23, 1860, his parents Columbus and Eliza Johnson, had twelve children. He was educated by Nancy Walton, a free African American woman who also taught white children … Read MoreEdward A. Johnson (1860-1944)

Posted on June 29, 2008December 9, 2020by contributed by: Jessica Salo
African American History: African American History: People

Frederick Randolph Moore (1857-1943)

Frederick Randolph Moore, a political activist and journalist, was born in 1857 to his slave mother and white father in Virginia. While Moore was still very young, the family moved to Washington, D.C., where Moore attended public schools and to make money, sold newspapers on … Read MoreFrederick Randolph Moore (1857-1943)

Posted on June 14, 2008December 31, 2020by contributed by: Caroline Kreiger
African American History: African American History: People

John Jones (1817-1879)

John Jones, apprentice tailor, writer, and politician was born in 1817 in Green City, North Carolina to a German father and an African American mother.  Born a free man, he taught himself to read and write. Jones started his own tailoring business and eventually became … Read MoreJohn Jones (1817-1879)

Posted on March 12, 2008February 21, 2022by contributed by: Cynthia Wilson
African American History: African American History: People

Gary Franks (1953- )

When Gary Franks was elected to Congress in 1990, he was the first black representative from Connecticut and the first black Republican in Congress in nearly 50 years. Son of a brass factory worker and a dietary specialist, education was a high priority in Franks’s … Read MoreGary Franks (1953- )

Posted on October 13, 2007July 24, 2020by contributed by: Claudia Sutherland
African American History: African American History: People

George Lewis Ruffin (1834-1886)

George Lewis Ruffin was born December 16, 1834 in Richmond, Virginia, the son of free blacks.  He was educated in Boston, Massachusetts and soon became a force in the city’s civic leadership.  After marrying Josephine St. Pierre, Mr. Ruffin supported his family by working as … Read MoreGeorge Lewis Ruffin (1834-1886)

Posted on January 19, 2007August 12, 2019by contributed by: Stephanie Knight
African American History: African American History: People

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