1837 – James Thomas Rapier Is Born
James Thomas Rapier, born on November 13, 1837 in Florence, Alabama, was a teacher, activist, and one of the few Black congressmen during Reconstruction. Educated in Canada, Scotland, and Tennessee, he returned to the South after the Civil War to campaign for Black suffrage and civil rights, despite threats from the Ku Klux Klan.
Elected to Congress in 1872, Rapier advocated for education, labor rights, and the 1875 Civil Rights Act. After Reconstruction, he led Black migration efforts to Kansas before his death in 1883.
1908 – Ebenezer D. Bassett Passes Away
Ebenezer D. Bassett, born in Connecticut in 1833, became the first African American diplomat when appointed U.S. Minister to Haiti in 1869. An educator and abolitionist, he guided U.S.-Haitian relations through years of political turmoil, earning respect for his integrity and leadership.
A friend of Frederick Douglass and advocate for Black soldiers during the Civil War, Bassett’s courage shone when he protected Haitian refugee General Pierre Canal. After serving eight years, he later became Haiti’s Consul General in New York until his death on November 13, 1908.
1943 – Ambassador June Carter Perry Is Born
Ambassador June Carter Perry, born on November 13, 1943 in Texarkana, Arkansas, earned degrees in history from Loyola University and the University of Chicago. She began her career in public affairs, working for the Peace Corps and other federal agencies before joining the U.S. Foreign Service in 1983.
Over her 21-year diplomatic career, Perry served in several African and European nations. Appointed by President George W. Bush, she became U.S. Ambassador to Lesotho (2004–07) and Sierra Leone (2007–09), promoting health, education, and democracy before retiring in 2010.
