Paul Jennings (abolitionist)
American Author, First White House Memoirist / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Paul Jennings (1799–1874) was an American abolitionist and author. Enslaved as a young man by President James Madison during and after his White House years, Jennings published, in 1865, the first White House memoir.[1] His book was A Colored Man's Reminiscences of James Madison, described as "a singular document in the history of slavery and the early American republic."[2]
Paul Jennings | |
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Born | 1799 |
Died | 1874(1874-00-00) (aged 74–75) |
Occupation(s) | American enslaved abolitionist Author |
Living in Washington, D.C. from 1837 on, Jennings made many useful connections and was aided by the northern Whig Senator Daniel Webster in gaining freedom. In the 1850s, Jennings traveled to Virginia, where he tracked down his children, who had grown up on a neighboring plantation with his late wife Fanny, who was also enslaved. His relatives on his mother's side were sold by the widow Dolley Madison with Montpelier in 1844. His three sons joined the Union cause during the American Civil War.
In 2009 his descendants were honored at Montpelier following a lecture on Jennings. They were also invited to a private viewing at the White House of Gilbert Stuart's 1796 portrait of George Washington.