William Henry Steward

William Henry Steward
Steward in 1887
Born	(1847-07-26)July 26, 1847 Brandenburg, Kentucky
Died	January 3, 1935(1935-01-03) (aged 87) Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Alma mater	Shaw University
Occupation	Educator, journalist,
Political party	Republican

William Henry Steward (July 26, 1847 – January 3, 1935) was a civil rights activist from Louisville, Kentucky. In February 1876, he was appointed the first black letter carrier in Kentucky. He was the leading layman of the General Association of Negro Baptists in Kentucky and played a key role in the founding of Simmons College of Kentucky by the group in 1879. He continued to play an important role in the college during his life. He was also co-founder of the American Baptist, a journal associated with the group, and Steward went on to be the journal's editor. He was a leader in Louisville civic and public life, and played a role in extending educational opportunities in the city to black children. In 1897, his political associations led to his appointment as judge of registration and election for the Fifteenth Precinct of the Ninth Ward, overseeing voter registration for the election. This was the first appointment of an African American to such a position in Kentucky. He was elected president of the Afro-American Press Association in the 1890s He was a close associate of Booker T. Washington, and in the late 1890s and early 1900s, Steward was a prominent member of the National Afro-American Council, which was dominated by Washington. He was president of the Council from 1904 to 1905. He was a lifelong opponent of segregation and was frequently involved in anti-Jim Crow law activities. In 1914 he helped found a Louisville branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which he left in 1920 to become a key player in the Commission on Interracial Cooperation (CIC). He was also a prominent freemason and twice elected Worshipful Master of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky.

William Henry Steward was born a slave on July 26, 1847 in Brandenburg, Kentucky. He and his parents were ligh-skinned. At the age of nine, his master brought him to Louisville, Kentucky. He was allowed to attend school, and attended schools taught by Henry Adams, William H. Gibson, and R. T. W. James. run by the First African Baptist Church. As a young adult, he taught schools at Frankfurt, Kentucky and Louisville, and for three years he taught at the Eastern Colored School. An uncle helped him find a job as laborer of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, and he was promoted to messenger in 1875 for the cashier and purchasing agent of the Railroad. In 1867 he was Baptized into the Baptist Church and was an active member, leading the choir at the Fifth Street Baptist church in Louisville and teaching in the Sunday School.