Alexander Twilight
Alexander Twilight | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Brownington | |
| In office 1836–1837 | |
| Preceded by | Gilbert Gross |
| Succeeded by | Jeremiah Huntoon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 23, 1795 Corinth, Vermont, U.S. |
| Died | June 19, 1857 (aged 61) Brownington, Vermont, U.S. |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse | Mercy Ladd Merrill |
| Profession | Minister (Christianity) Schoolmaster |
| Alma mater | Middlebury College |
Alexander Lucius Twilight (September 23, 1795 – June 19, 1857) was an American educator, minister and politician. He was recognized as the first African American to have earned a bachelor's degree from an American college or university, graduating from Middlebury College in 1823. He was ordained as a Congregational minister and worked in education and ministry all his career. In 1829, Twilight became principal of the Orleans County Grammar School. There he designed and built Athenian Hall, the first granite public building in the state of Vermont. In 1836, he was the first African American elected as a state legislator, serving in the Vermont House of Representatives; he was also the only African American ever elected to a state legislature before the Civil War.
His house and Athenian Hall are included in the Brownington Village Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).