Richard Theodore Greener
| Richard Theodore Greener | |
|---|---|
Richard T. Greener circa 1887
|
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| Dean of Howard Law School | |
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In office 1878 – 1880 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 30, 1844 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | May 2, 1922 (aged 78) Chicago, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Children | Belle da Costa Greene |
| Alma mater |
Phillips Academy Andover Oberlin College (did not graduate) Harvard University (A.B.) University of South Carolina (LL.B.) |
| Profession | Professor, Diplomat, Attorney |
Richard Theodore Greener (January 30, 1844 – May 2, 1922) was the first African-American graduate of Harvard College and dean of the Howard University School of Law.
Richard Greener was born in Philadelphia in 1844 and moved with his mother to Boston when he was approximately nine years old. He quit school in his mid-teens to earn money for his family, but one of his employers, Franklin B. Sanborn, helped him to enroll in preparatory school at Oberlin College. He then studied at Phillips Academy, graduating in 1865. After three years at Oberlin, Greener transferred to Harvard College and earned a bachelor's degree in 1870. His admission to Harvard was "an experiment" by the administration and paved the way for many more black graduates of Harvard.
An article appeared in the Rochester Daily Democrat on August 16, 1869: "Richard Theodore Greener, a young colored man and a member of the senior class of Harvard College, is giving public readings in Philadelphia. Mr. Greener's history is that of a persevering young man who has succeeded in living down the prejudices against his race and color, and attaining by industry, ability, and good character, a position of which he may well feel proud. He was awarded last year, at Harvard College, the prize for reading, and this year he has drilled two young white men who have likewise obtained prizes in the same branch. His course at Harvard has throughout been honorable. He is the first colored youth who has ever passed through that college."
On September 24, 1874, Greener married Genevieve Ida Fleet, and they had six children. One of his daughters was Belle da Costa Greene, a prominent librarian. Greener separated from his wife, although they never divorced. She and her daughters changed their name to "Greene" to disassociate themselves from him. Belle, personal librarian to J. P. Morgan, passed for white.
In 1898 Greener accepted a post from President William McKinley in Vladivostok, Russia. Leaving his family, he took a Japanese common-law wife, Mishi Kawashima, with whom he had three children. He successfully served as an American representative during the Russo-Japanese War, but was fired in 1905. Greener settled in Chicago with relatives. He held a job as an agent for an insurance company, practiced law, and occasionally lectured on his life and times. He died of natural causes in Chicago on May 2, 1922.
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