Thomas L. Jennings was an African American tradesman and abolitionist in New York City, New York. He operated a tailoring and dry-cleaning business, and in 1821 was the first African American to be granted a patent.
Jennings became active in working for his race and civil rights for
the black community. In 1831, he was selected as assistant secretary to
the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which met in June 1831. He helped arrange legal defense for his daughter, Elizabeth Jennings, in 1854 when she challenged a private streetcar company's segregation
of seating and was arrested. She was defended by the young Chester Arthur, and won her case the next year.
With two other prominent black leaders, Jennings organized the Legal Rights Association in 1855 in New York, which raised challenges to discrimination and
organized legal defense for court cases. He founded and was a trustee of
the Abyssinian Baptist Church, a leader in the black community.
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Source: Wikipedia
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