William Cooper Nell
| William Cooper Nell | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
December 16, 1816 Boston, Massachusetts, US |
| Died | May 25, 1874 (aged 57) Boston, Massachusetts, US |
| Occupation | Journalist, author, civil servant |
| Spouse(s) | Frances Ann (Ames) Nell |
| Children | William Cooper Nell, Jr.; Frank Ames Nell |
| Parent(s) | William G. and Louise (Cooper) Nell |
William Cooper Nell (December 16, 1816 – May 25, 1874) was an African-American abolitionist, journalist, publisher, author, and civil servant of Boston, Massachusetts, who worked for integration of schools and public facilities in the state. Writing for abolitionist newspapers The Liberator and The North Star, he helped publicize the anti-slavery cause. He published the North Star from 1847 to 18xx, moving temporarily to Rochester, New York.
He also helped found the New England Freedom Association in the early 1840s, and later the Committee of Vigilance, to aid refugee slaves. The Committee of Vigilance supported resistance to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which increased penalties even against citizens in free states who aided refugee slaves.
Nell's short histories, Services of Colored Americans in the Wars of 1776 and 1812 (1851) and The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution (1855), were the first studies published about African Americans. He is noted as the first African American to serve in the federal civil service, in the post office.
Nell was born in 1816 in Boston, Massachusetts to Louise Cooper, from Brookline, and William Guion Nell, from Charleston, South Carolina. His father was an important figure in the abolitionist movement, having helped to create the Massachusetts General Colored Association in the 1820s. Nell encountered racial discrimination as a student. In 1829 he was passed over for an award given to excellent students upon graduation from the Smith School, apparently because of his ethnicity, and excluded from a celebratory dinner. The award was financially supported by the estate of anti-slavery advocate Benjamin Franklin. The school committee instead gave Nell The Life of Ben Franklin, an autobiography.
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