Moses Aaron Hopkins (December 25, 1846 – August 7, 1886) was an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

clergyman and educator who served as United States minister (ambassador) to

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

in 1885–1886. He was the first formerly enslaved person to serve the United States in an ambassadorial / ministerial capacity. He died while in Liberia.Stopping Points (Moses A. Hopkins 1846-1886)
Retrieved Nov. 4, 2015. Hopkins, born enslaved in Montgomery County, Virginia, was moved near Newbern in 1850, and escaped to serve in

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

camps as a cook. He then briefly worked aboard steamships traversing the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. After attending

Avery College Avery College was a former college dedicated to the education of African Americans. Avery College opened in 1849 and closed in 1873. Avery College was located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From 1863 to 1867 George Boyer Vashon was the President. Jo ...

and graduating from Lincoln University as valedictorian in 1874, in 1877 he was the first black graduate of

Auburn Theological Seminary Auburn Theological Seminary, located in New York City, teaches students about progressive social issues by offering workshops, providing consulting, and conducting research on faith leadership development. The seminary was established in Auburn, N ...

in New York. His graduating address "The Problem of Race Reconciliation in the South" was made all the more remarkable by the fact that ten years previously he could neither read nor write. He settled in

Franklinton, North Carolina Franklinton is a town in Franklin County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,456 at the 2020 census. History Franklinton, was established as Franklin Depot in 1839 on land owned by Shemuel Kearney (1791–1860), son of Crawford ...

on June 14, 1877, where he established a church and a school. The school, known as Albion Academy, was among two dozen funded by the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Board of Missions for Freedmen to educate formerly enslaved persons. With his wife Carrie, he also founded the short-lived ''Freedmen’s Friend'' newspaper, bearing the masthead "The Organ of Albion Academy and Our Race". Hopkins was first appointed minister to Liberia by President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

through a recess appointment and was later confirmed by the U.S. Senate.Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America, Volume XXV, Washington Government Printing Office (1901), page 52
Retrieved Nov. 4, 2015. He was appointed on September 11, 1885, departed October 21, and presented his credentials on December 14, 1885. On August 7, 1886, he died of what was then known as “African fever”, sharing his fate with three other U.S. ministers to Liberia who died of tropical diseases between the years 1882 and 1893. He was remembered at the time in the

Indianapolis Journal The ''Indianapolis Journal'' was a newspaper published in Indianapolis, Indiana, during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The paper published daily editions every evening except on Sundays, when it published a morning edition. The fir ...

as "an earnest laborer for the elevation of his race and the redemption of Africa." Congress enacted an allowance of $2,500 to his widow, representing six months salary. On April 30, 2021, Hopkins was one of 71 "forgotten" names commemorated by the

American Foreign Service Association American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), established in 1924, is the professional association of the United States Foreign Service. With over 15,000 dues-paying members, American Foreign Service Association represents 28,000 active and retir ...

as an on-duty death while in the foreign service.

References

North Carolina Historical Marker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, Moses Aaron 1846 births 1886 deaths 19th-century American slaves Ambassadors of the United States to Liberia People from Franklinton, North Carolina African-American educators American educators African-American Christian clergy American Christian clergy 19th-century American diplomats Auburn Theological Seminary alumni 19th-century American clergy