BlackFacts.com Fact of the Day - March 11

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March 11 is the Birthday of Edward R. Dudley.

In 1949, Edward R. Dudley was the first African American to hold the rank of ambassador. His legacy also includes a long history of civil rights activism and a distinguished career as an attorney.

Dudley was a civil rights lawyer in the 1940s, appointed to the New York Attorney General’s Office. He was then recruited by Thurgood Marshall to become a Special Assistant at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

In 1948, President Harry Truman sent Dudley to Liberia as a U.S. Envoy and Minister. Upon elevation of the Mission in Liberia to a full U.S. Embassy in 1949, Dudley was promoted to the rank of Ambassador.

After departing Liberia in 1953 he continued to practice law and was later elected to the New York Supreme Court in 1965, serving on the high court until 1985.

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