Rufus L. Perry
| Rufus L. Perry | |
|---|---|
Perry in 1887
|
|
| Born |
March 11, 1834 Smith County, Tennessee |
| Died | June 18, 1895 (aged 61) Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Alma mater | Kalamazoo Seminary, Simmons College of Kentucky, Wilberforce University |
| Occupation | Educator, journalist, minister |
| Political party | Republican |
| Religion | Baptist |
Rufus L. Perry (March 11, 1834 - June 18, 1895) was an educator, journalist, and Baptist minister from Brooklyn, New York. He was a prominent member of the African Civilization Society and was a co-founder of the Howard Colored Orphan Asylum, which developed from it. He was the editor of numerous newspapers and journals, most notably the National Monitor. He was a prominent Baptist, and in 1886 he founded the Messiah Baptist Church, where he was pastor until his death. He was also a classical scholar.
Rufus L. Perry was born a slave on a plantation in Smith County, Tennessee on March 11, 1834 to Lewis Perry and Maria. The family was owned by Archibald W. Overton. Lewis was a talented mechanic, carpenter, and cabinet maker, and secured the means to bring his family to Nashville where the Rufus was able to attend the school for free blacks taught by Sally Porter. Lewis escaped to Canada when Rufus was seven years old, and Rufus was brought back to the plantation where his education gave him the reputation of being "dangerous". In August 1852 he was sold to a trader to be taken to Mississippi. However, Perry was able to forge a pass and after three weeks himself fled to Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
In 1854, Perry converted to the Baptist religion and soon after enrolled in the Kalamazoo Seminary in Kalamazoo, Michigan where he graduated in 1861. On or about October 9, 1861 he was ordained pastor of the Second Baptist Church at Ann Arbor, Michigan. He later became a pastor in St. Catherine's, Ontario, and Buffalo, New York.
In 1862, Perry and Rev Henry M. Wilson formed the Colored Orphan Asylum of the African Civilization Society for the education and development of African Americans. The organization promoted schools throughout the country and founded the Asylum at Weeksville, Brooklyn. Other prominent members included Daniel Payne, Henry Highland Garnet, Rev J. Sella Martin, and Amos N. Freeman. In 1869, Perry was general agent, superintendent of schools, and editor of the newspaper, and chairman of the building committee of the Society. The group fractured, and that year three officers, president Amos Freeman, director John Flamer, and Perry brought a lawsuit against corresponding secretary Rev. Henry M. Wilson, which was not successful. The Society closed in 1871, but the orphan asylum, later known as the Howard Colored Orphan Asylum, persisted and Perry served as its president into the 1880s.
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