William Gustavus Allen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | c. 1820 |
| Died | May 1, 1888 (aged 67–68) London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Professor, lecturer |
| Known for | First Black man to marry white woman in U.S. |
| Spouse | Mary King |
| Children | 7 |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Oneida Institute |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Languages, rhetoric |
| Institutions | New-York Central College |
| Main interests | Abolitionism; African civilization |
William Gustavus Allen (c. 1820 – 1 May 1888) was an African-American academic, intellectual, and lecturer. For a time he co-edited The National Watchman, an abolitionist newspaper. While studying law in Boston he lectured widely on abolition, equality, and integration. He was then appointed a professor of rhetoric and Greek at New-York Central College, the second African-American college professor in the United States.[1]: 39 (The first was his predecessor at Central College, Charles L. Reason.) He saw himself as an academic and intellectual.[1]: 48
Frederick Douglass described him as "a gentleman, a scholar, and a Christian. He is an ornament to society."[2]
Meeting and falling in love with a white student, Mary King, the couple married in secret in 1853. This was one of the first legal marriages between a "colored" man and a Caucasian woman to take place in the United States.[3] They immediately left the country, never to return, because of the violent prejudice against their relationship. While for a time he continued to lecture in both England and Ireland, and wrote an autobiographical account including his marriage, which sold well, he and his family eventually fell into obscurity and near-poverty.[4]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Blackettwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Douglass, Frederick (March 4, 1853). "A Brutal and Scandalous Outrage". Frederick Douglass's Paper (Rochester, New York). Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2020 – via accessiblearchives.com.
- ^ Viñas-Nelson, Jessica (September 2017). "Interracial Marriage in 'Post-Racial' America". Origins. 10 (12). Archived from the original on 2020-01-09. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
- ^ Welbourne, Penny Anne (2006). "Allan William G". In Finkleman (ed.). Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895 : from the colonial period to the age of Frederick Douglass. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. pp. 49–50. ISBN 0195167775. OCLC 62430770.