Alexander Twilight
| Alexander Twilight | |
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| Member of the Vermont Legislature from the district |
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In office 1836–1857 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 23, 1795 Corinth, Vermont, U.S. |
| Died | June 19, 1857 (aged 61) Brownington, Vermont, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse(s) | Mercy Ladd Merrill |
| Profession | Minister (Christianity) |
| Religion | Congregational Church |
Alexander Lucius Twilight (September 23, 1795 – June 19, 1857) was an American educator, minister and politician. He is the first African-American known to have earned a bachelor's degree from an American college or university, graduating from Middlebury College in 1823. He was licensed as a Congregational preacher and worked in education and ministry all his career. In 1829 Twilight became principal of the Orleans County Grammar School. There he designed and built Athenian Hall, the first granite public building in the state. In 1836 he was the first African-American elected as a state legislator, serving in the Vermont General Assembly; he was also the only African-American ever elected to a state legislature before the Civil War.
His house and Athenian Hall are included in the Brownington Village Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
Alexander Lucius Twilight was born September 23, 1795, at Corinth, Vermont. Both his parents were free and mixed race, of African and English descent. It is unknown if they were born free; they were likely descendants of African slaves and English ancestors. His father Ichabod Twilight was a Revolutionary War veteran. His mother Mary was described as 'white' or 'light-skinned,' implying she was of partial African descent. His parents were both listed in the Corinth town history as “the first negroes to settle in Corinth.”
Starting around 1802 when he was eight years old, Twilight worked for a neighboring farmer in Corinth. Working from an early age was typical of working-class children of his era. For the next 12 years he read, studied, and learned mathematics while working in various farm labor positions.
Twilight enrolled in Randolph’s Orange County Grammar School in 1815 at the age of 20. From 1815 to 1821, he completed all secondary school courses as well as the first two years of a college-level curriculum. He enrolled in Middlebury College in 1821, where he graduated in 1823 with a bachelor's degree. He was the first known African American to receive a degree from an American institution of higher learning. This did not become widely known until 1826, when Amherst College awarded a bachelor's degree to Edward Jones and claimed that he was the first African American to earn the degree.
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