On April 17, 1823, Mifflin Wistar Gibbs was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A visionary jurist, publisher, and diplomat, Gibbs made history in 1873 when he became the first African American judge elected in the United States, serving in Arkansas. Before his judicial appointment, he was a fierce abolitionist and political organizer, and from 1850 to 1858, Gibbs served as the U.S. consul to Madagascar—one of the first Black Americans to hold such a diplomatic post. His contributions spanned law, international relations, and civil rights, making him a foundational figure in the struggle for Black political power during Reconstruction.
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