John Mercer Langston was born in 1829 to an emancipated mother and slave-owner father. He became the fifth African-American graduate from Oberlin College. He later became the first black elected official in Ohio, helped runaway slaves escape north via the Underground Railroad, and was appointed U.S. Minister to Haiti by president Rutherford B. Hays. This is his story.
Reflections in Black: John Mercer Langston
Courtesy
/
Library of Congress
