John Mercer Langston was elected clerk of Brownhelm Township in Ohio, making him one of the first African Americans ever elected to public office in the United States. Langston, a lawyer and staunch abolitionist, would later become a founding dean of Howard University Law School and serve as U.S. Minister to Haiti. His election marked an early milestone in Black political leadership during a time of widespread disenfranchisement.
© 2025 KnowThyHistory.com. Know Thy History
Loading...