Notable people · Abolitionist · Educator · Activist
Charles Henry Langston
Born in Louisa County, Virginia, brother of John Mercer Langston. He attended Oberlin and was active in Ohio anti-slavery and Black convention work. In 1858 he took part in the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue and, with Simeon Bushnell, was convicted; he served 20 days. He later worked in Kansas.
At a glance
- Born
- 1817
- Died
- 1892
- Education
- Oberlin College preparatory department, Oberlin, OH, from 1835
- Known as
- Abolitionist, Educator, Activist
- Organizations
- Ohio Anti-Slavery Society, Oberlin College
Life story
Charles Langston was born free in Louisa County, Virginia, in 1817, the brother of John Mercer Langston. In 1835 he and his brother Gideon were among the first students of African descent admitted to Oberlin's preparatory school.
In Ohio he worked in the antislavery movement and took part in the 1858 Oberlin-Wellington Rescue of the fugitive John Price. He was tried and convicted with others in the case.
He moved to Kansas in 1862, organized a school, recruited Black soldiers, and in 1865 became an official of the Freedmen's Bureau. He was a presidential elector in 1872.
In 1869 he married Mary Patterson Leary, widow of Lewis Sheridan Leary. Their daughter Caroline was the mother of the poet Langston Hughes. He died in Lawrence, Kansas, in 1892.
Timeline
- 1835: Admitted to Oberlin preparatory school (Oberlin, OH) source
- 1858: Oberlin-Wellington Rescue; convicted (Cleveland/Oberlin, OH) source
- 1859: Ohio Supreme Court rules against habeas corpus petition (Columbus, OH) source
- 1862: Moves to Leavenworth, Kansas (Leavenworth, KS) source
- 1863: Helps recruit U.S. Colored Troops (Kansas) source
- 1865: Appointed Freedmen's Bureau official (Kansas) source
- 1869: Marries Mary Patterson Leary (Kansas) source
- 1872: Presidential elector; principal of Quindaro school (Kansas) source
- 1892: Dies (Lawrence, KS) source
What Charles is known for
- Took part in Oberlin-Wellington Rescue 1858; one of only two rescuers convicted
- Ohio Anti-Slavery Society and Black suffrage organizer
- Grandfather of poet Langston Hughes
Honors and things named for them
- Presidential elector, 1872
Family
- brother: John Mercer Langston
- wife: Mary Patterson Leary
- daughter: Caroline Mercer Langston
- grandson: Langston Hughes
- wife's first husband: Lewis Sheridan Leary
Ohio places
Where Charles Henry Langston was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Lived: Oberlin, Lorain County ZIP 44074 · Oberlin · Lorain County
- Lived: Columbus, Franklin County ZIP 43215 · Columbus · Franklin County
- Lived: Chillicothe, Ross County ZIP 45601 · Chillicothe · Ross County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: Charles Henry Langston birth Louisa Co. VA 1817, death Lawrence KS 1892, Ohio residences, rescue
- Wikipedia: Oberlin-Wellington Rescue rescue 13 Sept 1858; Langston and Bushnell convicted; 20-day sentence