The Syphax family is a prominent

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

family in the Washington, DC area. A part of the

African-American upper class The African-American upper class is a social class that consists of African-American individuals who have high disposable incomes and high net worth. The group may include highly paid white-collar professionals such as academics, engineers, law ...

, the family is descended from Charles Syphax and Mariah Carter Syphax, both born into slavery. She was the daughter of an enslaved woman and planter

George Washington Parke Custis George Washington Parke Custis (April 30, 1781 – October 10, 1857) was an American plantation owner, antiquarian, author, and playwright. His father John Parke Custis was the stepson of George Washington. He and his sister Eleanor grew u ...

, only grandson of First Lady

Martha Washington Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 21, 1731 — May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington served as the inaugural ...

History

The family became part of the

free people of color In the context of the history of slavery in the Americas, free people of color (French: ''gens de couleur libres''; Spanish: ''gente de color libre'') were primarily people of mixed African, European, and Native American descent who were not ...

in Washington, DC before the Civil War. Maria (Mariah) Carter was born into slavery, the

mixed-race Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...

daughter of planter

(1781–1857), the only grandson of Martha Washington through her first marriage. Mariah's mother was Ariana Carter, one of Custis's house slaves Considered part of the elite of African-American society, the Syphax family gained early advantages by their being freed before the war, and by Mariah Syphax being granted 17 acres of land at Arlington by her father Custis. That land later was acquired by the government to become part of

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. When Mariah Carter asked her father for permission to marry Charles Syphax, one of his slaves, he allowed them the unusual benefit of marrying in his Arlington mansion. Later that year, he granted Mariah seventeen acres of his Arlington estate. Mary Custis (1808–1873), Mariah's white half-sister, married Robert E. Lee (1807–1870), who became a Confederate general when the Civil War broke out. Mariah and Charles had ten children, several of whom achieved important political positions from the 1850s onward. Several of the Syphax descendants became

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Notable members

William Syphax William Syphax ( 1825 — June 15, 1891) was born into slavery but manumitted when he was about one year old, along with his mother Maria Carter Syphax and sister. As a young man, he became a U.S. government civil servant in Republican administ ...

: The eldest son of Charles and Mariah, William gained positions in the Interior Department and as first African-American president of the School Board for Black schools in the District of Columbia. After his family's property was confiscated following the Civil War, he successfully petitioned for it to be restored to them by way of a relief Act of Congress. The head of the group that founded the first high school for African Americans, William "was described as a man of 'dauntless courage and unwavering integrity' who 'dared to demand what was due his race, fearing no man regardless of position or color.'"Sowell, Thomas, ''Black excellence -- the case of Dunbar High School," ''The Public Interest'', Spring 1974, pp.6-7.
/ref> *

John B. Syphax John Bryce Syphax (c. 1838 – September 8, 1916) was an African-American politician during the Reconstruction era. Born free in Virginia, he served as a justice of the peace of the Arlington Magisterial Board. He served as a member of the Virgin ...

: A son of Charles and Mariah, John was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates during the Reconstruction era. *

Douglas Syphax Douglas Syphax (1842 – 4 February 1890) or Douglass Syphax was an African American from Virginia who resettled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after the American Civil War. A military veteran, he was active in the Grand Army of the Republic in the ...

: Born in 1842, Douglas became one of the few black sergeants in the United States Colored Troops. After the war, he moved from Virginia to

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, where he went into real estate. * Theophilus John Syphax: A son of the preceding, T. John Syphax passed as white beginning at about 20 to gain more opportunities and evade racial discrimination, under the assumed name of ''Theophilus John McKee''. * Charles Sumner Syphax: A prominent mathematician, Charles served as a dean of

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

. * Charles Sumner Syphax II: A son of the preceding, Charles II worked as a physician after graduating from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1924. * Charles Sumner Syphax III: A son of the preceding, Charles III became one of the earliest African-American developers in Detroit. *

Mary Gibson Hundley Mary Gibson Hundley (18 October 1897 – 1986) was an educator and civil rights activist from Baltimore, Maryland. She was born to lawyer Malachi Gibson and teacher Mary Matilda Syphax. Through her mother's side of the family, she is a descendant of ...

: An educator and civil rights activist, Mary won a precedent-establishing case against restrictive residential covenants in the

Jim Crow The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the Sout ...

era. *

Julian Dixon Julian Carey Dixon (August 8, 1934 – December 8, 2000) was an American Democratic politician from California who was a member of the California State Assembly from 1973 to 1978 and then a member of the United States House of Representativ ...

: A U.S. congressman, Julian sponsored the attempt to impeach

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

in the wake of the U.S. government's invasion of Grenada. * Evelyn Reid Syphax: An educator who was chair of the

Arlington Public Schools Arlington Public Schools is a public school division in Arlington County, Virginia. In 2019, student enrollment was 28,020 students, with students coming from more than 146 countries. In 2015, there were 2,166 teachers. There are 24 elementary ...

Board. * Mary Syphax Gibson: An educator who was the first black Member of the Washington DC School Board. * Burke Syphax: A

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

who led the

Howard University Hospital Howard University Hospital, previously known as Freedmen's Hospital, is a major hospital located in Washington, D.C., built on the site of the previous Griffith Stadium. The hospital has served the African-American community in the area for over ...

Department of Surgery and was one of the first black people to become Board Certified in Surgery. *

Edward C. Gleed Edward Creston Gleed (November 5, 1916 – January 25, 1990) was an U.S. Army Air Force officer with the famed Buffalo Soldiers/9th Cavalry Regiment (United States), 332nd Fighter Group’s operations officer, and combat fighter pilot with the 9 ...

: A

Buffalo Soldier Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in th ...

and

Tuskegee Airman The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332d Fighter Group and the 477th Fighter Group, 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the ...

, Edward was one of segregated America's most prominent Black military servicemen.

History

Notable members

See also

References

Sources

Notes