Aaron Molyneaux Hewlett (c. 18201871) was the first African American instructor at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and oversaw the college's

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational ins ...

nasium. He was the first superintendent of

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

in American higher education. Hewlett was instructor and curator of the College gymnasium from its construction in 1859 until his death in 1871.

Biography

Hewlett lived in Brooklyn before his job at Harvard. He worked as a porter but also taught boxing and wrestling.

The New York Clipper The ''New York Clipper'', also known as ''The Clipper'', was a weekly entertainment newspaper published in New York City from 1853 to 1924. It covered many topics, including circuses, dance, music, the outdoors, sports, and theatre. It had a ...

, the leading New York sports paper, considered him "one of the best boxers in Brooklyn." in 1854 he quit his job as a porter and opened “Molineaux House,” a sparring academy, at his residence. Hewlett's instruction included the use of exercise equipment and

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in order to strengthen the body. The 1866 portrait of him and his equipment, taken by George Kendall Warren, is the first known photograph of a

medicine ball A medicine ball (also known as an exercise ball, a med ball, or a fitness ball) is a weighted ball whose diameter is about a shoulder-width, (approx. ), often used for rehabilitation and strength training. The medicine ball also serves an impo ...

in the United States. After Hewlett had been working at Harvard for ten years, a local Boston paper commented that Harvard's "Athletics have come almost to rank with Mathematics." Hewlett participated in civic life and stood up for his rights. In addition to his work at Harvard, Hewlett was also partial owner of a clothing and variety store on Brattle Street in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

where he sold gymnastic equipment. See als

/ref> When he and his daughter were denied their seats at the Boston Theater in 1866, he petitioned the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

to better enforce its own laws and revoke the licenses from establishments that illegally discriminated against African Americans.

Personal life

Hewlett was born in New York, to Isaac and Rachel Hewlett. He married Virginia Josephine (née Lewis) Hewlett, who was also a physical education instructor. They had five children:

Virginia Hewlett Douglass Virginia Hewlett Douglass (June 1, 1849 – December 14, 1889), also known as Virginia Lewis Molyneaux Hewlett Douglass was an African-American suffragist. She was married to Frederick Douglass, Jr. Biography Virginia Lewis Molyneaux Hewlett ...

, a

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

who married

Frederick Douglass Jr. Frederick Douglass Jr. (March 3, 1842 – July 26, 1892) was the second son of Frederick Douglass and his wife Anna Murray Douglass. Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, he was an Abolitionism, abolitionist, essayist, newspaper editor, and an offi ...

; Emanuel D. Molyneaux Hewlett, who became the first black graduate of the

Boston University School of Law Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an eli ...

; Aaron;

Paul Molyneaux Paul Molyneaux (c.1856-1891) was an African-American actor, who performed as a Shakespearean actor in Victorian England. Life Molyneux was the son of Aaron Molyneaux Hewlett, a physical education instructor at Harvard University, and Virginia Jos ...

, who became a renowned Shakesperian actor; and Aaronella. The

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

published an editorial in 1916 about the "boxing revival" of the time at Harvard, mentioning Hewlettdeceased for over forty yearsas a prize fighter and a "midnight Mars" who came to Harvard from "the traditions of the ring." Emanuel Molyneaux called the editorial "uncomplimentary" and denied that his father had been a prize fighter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hewlett, Aaron Molyneaux 1820s births 1871 deaths Harvard University people American male boxers Sportspeople from Brooklyn American exercise instructors Harvard Crimson coaches Boxers from New York City