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On This Day: Edward A. Bouchet
#EdwardAlexanderBouchet (1852-1918)
#OTD-September 15, 1852
#InternationalUndergroundRailroadMonth
Edward A. Bouchet was born in New Haven, Connecticut, the youngest and only son of 4 children to William Bouchet, formerly enslaved in Charleston, South Carolina, and Susan Cooley Bouchet. After migrating from South Carolina to Connecticut, his father, William, became a deacon at #TempleStreetChurch, the oldest African American church in #NewHaven and an Underground Railroad station. Both of Edward's parents were employed at #YaleUniversity- his father was a janitor and his mother washed laundry for the students.
He entered #YaleCollege in 1870 and graduated in 1874. He returned in the fall of 1874 and in 1876, Bouchet earned his Ph.D. in Physics from Yale, becoming the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in physics.
Here's a great quote from Bouchet:
"Optics is an example of the different ways a human is able to see things in the world. The same goes for the color of a person's skin and even though optics present that there are differences in color, these do not state that they should necessarily be treated as different."
For more information about Edward A. Bouchet, visit the following links:
https://aaregistry.org/story/edward-bouchet-a-great-mind/
https://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/diversity/bouchet-honor-society/biography-of-edward-a.-bouchet.html
Carte de visite #CDV courtesy of #NannyJackAndCoArchives
Photographed by Warren (Boston & Cambridgepost, #Massachusetts) circa 1875-1880
Colorized courtesy of #DeOldify and #MyHeritage
In a future post, we'll share a picture of the 2nd African American to get a PhD in Physics, #ElmerSamuelImes
#NegroHistoryDetective 🕵🏽♂️