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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Law & Civil Rights

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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.

An alternative history

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Sources

  1. Source lookup

    64 Parishes (Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities)

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