Richard Henry Green facts for kids

Richard Henry Green (1833-1877) was an important African American pioneer. He was the first African American to graduate from Yale University. He also worked as a schoolteacher and a doctor. During the American Civil War, he helped the United States Navy as a surgeon.

Early Life and Education

Richard Henry Green was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1833. His father, also named Richard Green, was a bootmaker. He lived and worked close to the Yale University campus. Green's father also helped start St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, which was an African American church in the area.

To get ready for Yale, Richard Henry Green studied subjects like Latin, Greek, and math. He learned from Lucius Wooster Fitch, who was also a Yale graduate. Green started at Yale in 1853. While there, he joined a literary group called Brothers in Unity and a fraternity called Sigma Delta. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1857.

After graduating from Yale, Green became a teacher. He taught school in Milford, Connecticut, for about a year and a half. Then, he moved to Bennington, Vermont, where he took another teaching job at the Bennington Seminary.

Serving in the Civil War

In November 1863, during the American Civil War, Green joined the U.S. Navy. He worked as an acting assistant surgeon, which is a type of doctor. He served on the U.S. Steamer State of Georgia. This ship was part of the Union Blockade, which stopped supplies from reaching the Southern states.

Green was on the State of Georgia for about a year. After that, he was given a short break. During this time, he married Charlotte Caldwell in Bennington, Vermont. Soon after, he was ordered to serve on another ship, the Steamer Seneca. He was part of important battles, including the Second Battle of Fort Fisher and other fights in the Cape Fear River area.

While serving in the Navy, Green also studied medicine at Dartmouth College. He earned his medical degree (MD) in 1864.

Life After the War

After the Civil War ended, Richard Henry Green and his wife moved to Hoosick, New York. There, he started his own medical practice as a doctor. It seems he also changed the spelling of his last name to Greene.

People who knew him said he was a kind and friendly person. He loved studying nature and spent a lot of time collecting plants and other interesting natural items. He was also a member of the County Medical Society starting in 1872.

Richard Henry Greene passed away in Hoosick, New York, on March 23, 1877. He died from a heart condition and was survived by his wife and daughter.