Dunn, Oscar James
c.1822-1871 · Contribution: 1868-1871
Law & Civil Rights
First African American elected lieutenant governor of a U.S. state; served as acting governor of Louisiana in 1871, predating P.B.S. Pinchback's better-known tenure
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Quick facts
- Born
- c.1822-1871
- Category
- Law & Civil Rights
Impact on the world
Dunn achieved the first Black statewide executive office in U.S. history and arguably the first Black acting governorship, a milestone long obscured by hostile historical accounts.
Sources
- 64 Parishes (Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities)
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