This Day in History: 1842-03-15

Robert Carlos De Large is born in Aiken, South Carolina, the mixed-race son of a Haitian free woman of color and a Sephardi Jewish father; some scholars suggest both parents were of mixed race. De Large graduated high school and became a tailor and farmer. As a young man, De Large became a member of the Brown Fellowship Society of Charleston, made up of people of color who had been free before the war. They were among the elite African Americans in the city who were skilled artisans and led the people of color. De Large was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina, serving 1871 to 1873. He was earlier a delegate to the 1868 state constitutional convention and elected in 1868 to the South Carolina House of Representatives for one term. Learn more.