Born a slave in Thomasville, Georgia, Henry O. Flipper (1856 – 1940) was the first African-American graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1877, earning a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant.
Flipper’s owner lost his slaves in a bitter divorce to his wife, who took them to Atlanta and allowed them to be educated in blatant defiance of Georgia law. Influenced by his contact with Union soldiers during Sherman’s march through Atlanta, Flipper applied to West Point.
After easily passing academic and physical examinations, that eliminated most black and white nominees, 17-year old Flipper officially became a cadet on July 1, 1873. Despite hazing, isolation, and general maltreatment, Flipper graduated 50th out of a class of 76, on June 4, 1877.
He served four years as a cavalry officer in the West, before being court-martialed and discharged for “conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman” (code for being an uppity nigger and keeping company with a white woman) in 1882. He spent the rest of his life trying to clear his name.
In December 1976, four decades after his death, the U.S. Army granted Flipper an honorable discharge, dated June 30, 1882. A ceremony was held at West Point, where a bust was unveiled in his honor. President Clinton pardoned Lt. Flipper in February 1999.