Reverend Mahlon Van Horne (jan 1, 1885 – dec 31, 1887)
Description:
Newport, Rhode IslandDates of Service: 1885 - 1887
Date of Birth: March 5, 1840
Birth Place: Princeton, New Jersey
Education: Graduated from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania
Occupation: He taught school at Huntington, Long Island and Charleston, South Carolina, where he was principal of the Zion School. Arriving at the Union Congregational Church in Newport in 1869 as its first permanent pastor in three years, he served the congregation for the next twenty-eight years.
Other Offices: Newport School Committee (1873-)
Affiliations: Took part in the Colored Union Labor League–a group that helped freed slaves gain employment skills.
Awards/Honors: Inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2005, 2021 RI GOP Hall of Fame Inductee - Lifetime Achievement
Historical Moments:
Van Horne became the first person of color to sit on the Newport School Committee, a post he held for nearly 20 years.
In 1885 Van Horne was elected to the Rhode Island General Assembly, becoming the first African American to sit in that body
President William McKinley recognized Van Horne’s public service by appointing him the U. S. Consul to the island of St. Thomas in the Danish West Indies. Van Horne later became a missionary in Antigua and died in the West Indies in 1910.
Added to timeline:
Date:
jan 1, 1885
dec 31, 1887
~ 2 years and 11 months
