Young, Charles
1864-1922 · Contribution: 1889-1922
Military & Safety
Became the third African American to graduate from West Point (1889), the first Black U.S. national park superintendent, the first Black military attaché, and the highest-ranking Black officer in the Regular Army until his death — reaching colonel decades before the next Black officer would

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Quick facts
- Born
- 1864-1922
- Category
- Military & Safety
Impact on the world
Young broke barriers across the Army, the National Park Service, and diplomacy, and his forced retirement to deny him a generalship laid bare the racism of his era.
Sources
- National Museum of the United States Army
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