John Sunday Jr. (March 20, 1838 - January 7, 1925) was a carpenter, merchant, mechanic, cotton inspector, and state legislator in Florida. He served with fellow African American
Charles Rouse representing
Escambia County, Florida in 1874.
[ He also served as a councilman in Pensacola.
He served in the 6th Regiment of the Corps d’Afrique in ]Port Hudson, Louisiana
Port Hudson is an unincorporated community in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. Located about northwest of Baton Rouge, it is known primarily as the location of an American Civil War battle, the siege of Port Hudson, in 1863.
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including at the Siege of Port Hudson. He is also documented with the 78th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry (USCI) from 1863 to 1865 achieving the rank of First Sergeant. After the war he worked at the U.S. Navy yard in Pensacola. He was an organizer of the B. F. Stephenson Post of the Grand Army of the Republic and served as its commander for several years. His children included attendees of Fisk University
Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1930, Fisk was the first Africa ...
and Meharry Medical College. The University of South Florida library has an engraving of him.[Florida's Black Politicians by ]Canter Brown Jr.
Canter Brown Jr. is an American historian, professor and author. He was born in Fort Meade, Florida, and earned his degrees at Florida State University. He has taught at Florida A&M University and has worked at Fort Valley State University in Fort ...
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A society was established to save his home and continues to work to advocate for awareness of Pensacola's diverse history and to preserve its cultural resources.
In 2019, Pensacola's mayor declared March 20 John Sunday Day. John Sunday Jr. Plaza is named for him.
See also
* African-American officeholders during and following the Reconstruction era
* List of United States Colored Troops Civil War units
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sunday, John
Members of the Florida House of Representatives
1838 births
1925 deaths