Healy, Michael Augustine
1839-1904 · Contribution: 1865-1903
Transportation
First person of African descent to command a federal ship in U.S. history, commissioned by President Lincoln in 1865

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1839-1904
- Active since
- 1865-1903
- Category
- Transportation
Impact on the world
Healy commanded federal vessels in America's most treacherous waters as the first officer of African descent in the U.S. sea services, though he passed as white during his lifetime.
Sources
- U.S. Coast Guard (Historian's Office)
1 more sources and references are available to members.
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