John L. Waller
John Lewis Waller (January 12, 1850 – 1907) was an African-American lawyer, politician, journalist, publisher, businessman, military leader, and diplomat whose rise culminated in his becoming the United States consul to Madagascar. He was the grandfather of Negro World editor, poet, composer, and lyricist Andy Razaf.
Waller was born to enslaved parents in New Madrid County, Missouri. At the end of the American Civil War, he moved with his family to a farm in Tama County, Iowa. Waller's formal education, begun in 1863, ended with his graduation from high school in Toledo, Iowa.
Waller entered politics while living in Iowa. While living in Cedar Rapids and working as a barber, he was permitted to use the law library of Judge N.M. Hubbard.
Waller passed the bar in October 1877. On May 1 of the next year, he moved to Topeka, Kansas, in response to "Pap" Singleton's call for African-Americans to colonize the state.
On March 10, 1882, Waller founded the Western Recorder; the newspaper continued publication until 1885 in Lawrence, Kansas. In Topeka, Kansas, during February 1888, Waller and his cousin Anthony Morton established The American Citizen.
In 1888, Waller became the first black presidential elector, supporting the Republican ticket. He was charged with the responsibility to transport the results of the Kansan vote to Washington, D.C., that year.
After unsuccessfully campaigning to become the state auditor Kansas, Waller was appointed American consul in Madagascar in 1891. When his service as consul ended, the island's queen granted him a concession of 150,000 acres (610 km2) on the southern end of the island, lush with mahogany, ebony, rosewood, and rubber trees. Waller developed the land into thriving production.
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