On this day, Henry Watson Furniss, a respected African American physician from Indiana, was appointed U.S. Minister to Haiti, becoming one of the last Black diplomats to hold that post during the early 20th century. Furniss served with distinction during a time when Haiti was one of the few nations open to Black U.S. envoys due to prevailing racial attitudes in American foreign policy.
His tenure ended before President Woodrow Wilson took office in 1913, after which a white minister was appointed—marking a shift away from the inclusion of African Americans in key diplomatic roles, especially in predominantly Black nations like Haiti.
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