Black First of the Day

1890

Thomy Lafon (1810-1893)

In 1890 Thomy Lafon (1810-1893) was thought to be the first black millionaire. He was a New Orleans real estate speculator and moneylender. He was recognized as a community activist and philanthropist before the Civil War, when he was still a young man. He was listed as a merchant in the New Orleans City Directory in 1842; in 1868 the directory listed him as a broker, and he was considered the city's second leading black broker until 1870. As his wealth grew, he gave freely to those less fortunate, including religious and anti-slavery causes, and supported the Lafon Orphan Boys' Asylum and the Home for Aged Colored Men and Women, both of which he founded. The Thomy Lafon School, dedicated in 1898, made him the first black man and the second black person in New Orleans to have a school named for him. The Wall of Fame at the 1939-40 New York World's Fair listed his name along with those of other blacks, Native Americans, and foreign-born Americans who were notable contributors to American progress and culture. He lived frugally, and despite his philanthropic gifts, his estate was valued at nearly half a million dollars. Lafon's will provided for his relatives and friends, but he left the bulk of his estate to charity.

Sources: Logan and Winston, Dictionary of American Biography, pp. 379-80; Dictionary of Black Culture, p. 261; Efforts for Social Betterment Among Negro Americans, pp. 40-41; Smith, Notable Black American Men, pp. 692-93.

From Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Events by Jessie Carney Smith, © 2013 Visible Ink Press®. A celebration of achievement, accomplishments and pride.