John Mercer Langston - Virginia Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

John Mercer Langston was the first dean of the law school at Howard University. He was also the first president of Virginia State University. In 1888 he was the first African American elected to the United States Congress from Virginia and the only one for nearly a century. This historic marker is located at the Louisa County Courthouse in Louisa, Virginia. The Text of the marker reads:

JOHN MERCER LANGSTON
"John Mercer Langston was born 5.5 miles N.W. of here on 14 Dec. 1829, son of plantation owner Ralph Quarles and his former slave Lucy Langston. A graduate of Oberlin College (1849), in 1855 Langston became township clerk of Brownhelm, Ohio - the first African American popularly elected to office. During the Civil War, he recruited regiments for the Union army. Afterward he was founder and first dean of the Law Department of Howard University, served as minister resident in Haiti and charge d’affaires in Santo Domingo, and was first president of what is now Virginia State University. In 1888 he became the first black congressman elected from Virginia. He died on 15 Nov. 1897 in Washington, D.C."

Marker Number: W-222 Marker Title: John Mercer Langston Marker Location: Grounds of the Louisa County Courthouse County or Independent City: Louisa County Web Site: [Web Link] Marker Program Sponsor: Department of Historic Resources - 1995

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