Who was the first African American to graduate from Harvard?

The first black degree recipients were: Edwin C. J. Howard (Medicine), George L. Ruffin (Law), Robert T. Freeman (Dental) all in 1869. Ruffin and Freeman were the first blacks awarded their respective degrees in the country.

The first Harvard College A.B. was awarded to Richard T. Greener in 1870. He went on to become a philosophy professor, law school dean and foreign diplomat.

First to receive A.M degree: W.E.B. Dubois in 1895.

First PhD: also W.E.B. Dubois, 1895.

First A.B. degree from Radcliffe College: Alberta V. Scott, 1898.

[Source: "Tracing the Black Presence at Harvard," Harvard Gazette. Feb. 21, 1986]

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