People, Locations, Episodes

Francis Cardozo, Politician, and Minister born

*This date marks the birth of Francis Louis Cardozo in 1837.

He was a Black minister, educator, and politician; the first African American South Carolinian to hold a government office. Cardozo was born free in Charleston, South Carolina to a prominent Jewish businessman and economist, Isaac N. Cardozo, and a free African American woman, whose name is unknown.

Francis E. Dumas, Soldier born

*Francis Dumas’s birth is celebrated on this date in 1837. He was a Black Creole plantation owner, slaveholder, and Union Army officer. Francis E. Ernest Dumas, born in Louisiana, was the son of plantation owner Joseph Dumas and was an octoroon from his mother’s side. He spoke five languages and had lived in France for […]

Pinckney Pinchback, Officer, and Politician born

On this date we mark the birth of Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback. He was a Black Civil War officer and politician.

Robert Gould Shaw, Military Officer born

*Robert Shaw was born on this date in 1837.  He was a white-American officer in the Union Army.   Robert Gould Shaw II was born in Boston to abolitionists Francis George and Sarah Blake (Sturgis) Shaw, well-known Unitarian philanthropists and intellectuals. The Shaws benefited from a large inheritance left by Shaw’s merchant grandfather and namesake […]

Benjamin W. Arnett, Minister, and Politician born

*Benjamin W. Arnett was born on this date in 1838. He was a Black administrator, politician, and minister.

John W. Menard, Publisher, and Politician born

*John Willis Menard was born on this date in 1838. He was a Black politician.

Albion Tourgee, Judge born

Albion Tourgee was born on this date in 1838. He was a White American activist, judge, and author.

Bass Reeves, U.S. Marshall born

*The birth of Bass Reeves is celebrated on this date in1838. He was a Black farmer and was one of the first African Americans to receive a commission as a Deputy U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi River.

Victoria Woodhull, Activist, and Feminist born

*Victoria Woodhull was born on this date in 1838. She was a white-American leader of the women’s suffrage movement. Victoria California Claflin was born the seventh of ten children in the rural frontier town of Homer, Licking County, Ohio. Her mother, Madame Roxanna “Roxy” Hummel Claflin, was born to unmarried parents and illiterate. She had […]

Joseph R. Holmes, Farmer and Politician born

*The birth of Joseph R. Holmes is celebrated on this date in 1838. He was a Black shoemaker, farmer, and politician. Holmes published various articles critical of conservatives after the American Civil War. After being emancipated from Charlotte County, Virginia, he married Mary Clarke. They had three sons and one daughter. On October 23, 1867, Holmes […]

Robert Smalls, Naval Hero, and Politician born

This date marks the birth of Robert Smalls in 1839. He was an Black slave who became a naval hero for the Union in the American Civil War (1861-65) and went on to serve as a congressman from South Carolina during Reconstruction (1865-77).

James M. Turner, Activist born

*This date in 1840 is celebrated as the birth date of James M. Turner, a Black Reconstruction Era politician, activist, educator, and diplomat.   James Milton Turner was born into slavery in St. Louis, Missouri. As a child, he was sold on the steps of the St. Louis US Courthouse for $50 (US$ 1,500 in […]

Christian Fleetwood, Military Officer born

Christian Fleetwood was born in this date in 1840. He was a Black army officer, editor, a musician, and a government officer.

John Hyman, Congressman born

On this date in 1840, John A. Hyman was born. He was a Black storekeeper, farmer, and politician.

Benjamin A. Boseman, Doctor and Politician born

*Benjamin A. Boseman was born on this date in 1840. He was a Black physician and politician. Benjamin Antony Boseman Jr. was born in Troy, New York, the son of Benjamin and Annaretta Boseman, the oldest of five children. In the 1860 U.S. Census, he was listed as mulatto. His father was a steward on a […]