Famous first facts

THE first African-Americans--who were also, in many cases, the first Americans--didn't always leave biographies, but they left a legacy and a number. There were 20 in Virginia before the father of his country was fathered, 11 in Manhattan before the English and the skyscrapers came, 26 in Los Angeles before the movies came, and one in Chicago before the Lincolns or any other non-Indians arrived. **

* The founder of Chicago was JEAN BAPTISTE POINTE DUSABLE, a free Black who built the first house and opened the first business on the banks of the Chicago River in the 1770s. The Potawatomi Indians used to smile and say, "The first White man to settle in Checagou was a Black man."

* The first African-American institution was probably the Philadelphia Free African Society, founded on April 12, 1787, by RICHARD ALLEN and ABSALOM JONES and their followers who were forced out of the Methodist Church of their White neighbors. W.E.B. Du Bois called the society "the first wavering step of a people toward a more organized social life."

* The first Black to receive a major government appointment in the United States was FREDERICK DOUGLASS, who was named U.S. marshal of the District of Columbia on March 18, 1877. After a bitter fight, he was confirmed by the Senate, 30-12.

* The first Black cabinet member was ROBERT C. WEAVER, who was named Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development by President Lyndon B. Johnson. He was sworn in on January 18, 1966.

* The first Black U.S. senator was HIRAM RHODES REVELS, who was elected to the 41st Congress to fill the unexpired term of Jefferson Davis. Senator Revels was elected by the Mississippi legislature on January 20 1870, and was seated on February 25, 1870. He was the first Black in Congress.

* The first Black to serve a full term as a U.S. senator was BLANCHE KELSO BRUCE of Mississippi, who entered Congress on March 5, 1875.

* The first Black elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote was EDWARD W. BROOKE, R-Mass., who was elected on November 8, 1966.

* The first Black woman in the U.S. Senate and the first Black Democrat was CAROL MOSELEY BRAUN, D-Ill., who was elected on November 3, 1992.

* The first Black in the House of Representatives was JOSEPH H. RAINEY of South Carolina, who was seated on December 12, 1870.

* The first Black congressman from the North was OSCAR DE PRIEST, who was elected to the 71st Congress from Illinois' First Congressional District (Chicago) on November 6, 1928. He was sworn in on April 15, 1929.

* The first Black governor was P.B.S. PINCHBACK, who became governor of Louisiana on December 9, 1872, on the impeachment of Governor H. C. Warmoth.

* The first Black governor elected by popular vote was L DOUGLAS WILDER, who was sworn in as governor of Virginia on January 13, 1990.

* The first Black mayors of major cities in the 20th century were CARL B. STOKES of Cleveland and RICHARD G. HATCHER of Gary, Ind., who were elected on November 7, 1967. Mayor Stokes was inaugurated on November 13 and became the first Black mayor of a major American city.

* The first Black mayor of a major Southern city was MAYNARD JACKSON, who was elected in Atlanta on October 16, 1973.

* The first Black honored by the Motion Picture Academy was HATTIE McDANIEL, who received an Oscar in 1940 for her supporting role in Gone with the Wind, which was criticized by Blacks for its distortion of history and the Black personality.

* The first Black to receive an Academy Award for Best Actor of the Year was SIDNEY POITIER, who was cited in 1964 for his performance in Lilies of the Field.

* The first Black to receive an Academy Award for Best Actress of the Year was HALLE BERRY, who was cited on March 24, 2002, for her role in Monster's Ball.

* The first African-American in Major League Baseball was MOSES FLEETWOOD WALKER, who was a catcher on the Toledo team of the American Association in 1884.

First Black general in regular army, Benjamin O. Davis Sr., was named in 1940.

* The first Black in the major leagues in the modern era was JACKIE ROBINSON, who joined the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 10, 1947. Robinson played his first Major League game against the Boston Braves at Brooklyn's Ebbets field on April 15, 1947.

* The greatest home run hitter in baseball history was HENRY (HANK) AARON, who broke Babe Ruth's record on April 8, 1974, when he hit his 715th home run at a game in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. He ended his career with 755 home runs.

* The first Black world heavyweight boxing champion was JACK JOHNSON, who won the title on December 26, 1908, defeating Tommy Burns in the 14th round in Sydney, Australia.

* The first Black elected to the Football Hall of Fame was EMLEN TUNNELL, defensive back, New York Giants (1967).

* The first Black coach of a major, predominantly White professional team in the modern era was BILL RUSSELL, who was signed by the Boston Celtics basketball team on April 18, 1966.

* The first Black manager of a Major League Baseball team was FRANK ROBINSON, who was named manager of the Cleveland Indians in 1975. In 1978 LARRY DOBY was named manager of the Chicago White Sox.