author
Oscar Dunn
1845–1885
A groundbreaking figure of Reconstruction-era Louisiana, he rose from enslavement in New Orleans to become the first Black lieutenant governor of any U.S. state. His life captures both the promise of post-Civil War democracy and the fierce resistance it faced.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in New Orleans in the early 1820s, Oscar James Dunn was born into slavery and later gained his freedom. Before entering politics, he worked as a skilled plasterer and became active in civic life among the city’s free Black community.
During Reconstruction, he emerged as one of Louisiana’s most important Black political leaders. Elected lieutenant governor in 1868, he became the first African American to hold that office in any U.S. state, and he was also the first to serve as acting governor of a U.S. state.
Dunn pushed for civil rights, public education, and equal treatment under the law at a moment when those ideas were under constant attack. He died in office in 1871, but his legacy has endured as an early and powerful example of Black political leadership in the United States.