Daniel Payne Photograph   Save
National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center
Description: This 4.5 by 6.5-inch (11.43 by 16.51 cm) photograph shows Daniel A. Payne, who in 1863 became first African American president of Wilberforce University. Payne was born in 1811 in Charleston, South Carolina to free parents of mixed black, white, and American Indian ancestry. In 1835, he moved north to enroll in a seminary. He was licensed to preach in 1837 and ordained in 1839. Although affiliated with several denominations, Payne eventually settled on the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which ordained him bishop in 1852. In his ministry, Payne focused on education as the key to empowerment. In 1863 he was able to raise enough money to purchase Wilberforce University on behalf of the A.M.E. Church. Between 1863 and 1876, Payne provided leadership as president of the university, which became a respected leader in educating African Americans. Wilberforce University was established in 1856 in Green County under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was named for William Wilberforce (1759-1833), an English abolitionist. When the African Methodist Episcopal Church purchased the university in 1863, Union Seminary, which the A.M.E. Church founded in 1844, also became part of Wilberforce. The university was the first to be owned and run by African Americans. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1277_792530_109
Subjects: African Americans; Education; Universities and colleges; Students
Places: Wilberforce (Ohio); Greene County (Ohio)