American public servant, educator, and diplomat, John Mercer Langston (1829-1897) was born a slave and became the only black American to serve in the U.S. Congress from Virginia.

John Langston was born in Louisa County, Va., on Dec. 14, 1829. His mother was a slave. His father, who was the slavemaster, at his death freed Langston and provided for Langston's education in his will. As a youth, he attended school in Cincinnati, Ohio, and grew to manhood there, in a free state. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1849, he sought admission to several law schools. However, none would accept him because of his color, nor could he find a lawyer willing to apprentice him in his office. Thus, unable to study law, Langston returned to Oberlin to study theology, taking his degree in 1853. Afterward, he read law with Philemon Bliss of Elyria, Ohio, and was eventually admitted to the...