Toussaint, Pierre
1766-1853 · Contribution: 1807-1853
Hairdresser; philanthropist
Formerly enslaved New York hairdresser whose lifelong philanthropy helped fund Old St. Patrick's Cathedral and the city's first Black Catholic school; a leading candidate to become the first African American Catholic saint
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Quick facts
- Born
- 1766, Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti)
- Active since
- 1807
- Category
- Religious & Spiritual Leadership
- Best known for
- Formerly enslaved philanthropist; leading candidate for sainthood
Impact on the world
Toussaint turned hard-won prosperity into decades of quiet philanthropy that helped build the institutions of New York Catholicism, often serving a church frequently indifferent or hostile to its Black members.
An alternative history
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Sources
- Source lookupFind
USCCB (On the Road to Sainthood)
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Lange, Mary Elizabeth (Elizabeth Clarisse)
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Tolton, Augustus (John Augustine)
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