Alexander Lucius Twilight
(September 23, 1795 – June 19, 1857)
He was an American educator, minister, and politician. He was recognized as the first African American to have earned a bachelor’s degree from an American college or university, graduating from Middlebury College in 1823. He was ordained as a Congregational minister and worked in education and ministry all his career. In 1829 Twilight became principal of the Orleans County Grammar School. There he designed and built Athenian Hall, the first granite public building in the state of Vermont. In 1836 he was the first African American elected as a state legislator, serving in the Vermont House of Representatives; he was also the only African American ever elected to a state legislature before the Civil War.
His house and Athenian Hall are included in the Brownington Village Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
African-American roots
Alexander’s father, Ichabod, was born in Boston, in July 1765. Ichabod’s father was black, and his mother, was white, possibly an indentured servant. Eventually, Ichabod married Mary, described as ‘white’ or ‘light-skinned,’ implying she was of partial African descent.
Ichabod and Mary were free and mixed race, of African and English descent. It is unknown if they were born free; they were likely descendants of enslaved Africans and English settlers. Ichabod was a Revolutionary War veteran from New Hampshire. His parents were both listed in the Corinth, Vermont town history as “the first negroes to settle in Corinth where they bought property, moving from Bradford on November 28, 1798.
In October 1855 Twilight suffered a stroke which left him partially paralyzed and caused him to retire as principal of the Brownington school. He died on June 19, 1857, and was buried at the Congregational church in Brownington.
Marriage and family
In 1826, Twilight married Mercy Ladd Merrill of Unity, New Hampshire. They remained married until his death and had no children. Mercy Twilight died in 1878.
Legacy and honors
Alexander Twilight Hall at Middlebury College
Alexander Twilight House (1830), still stands across the street from Athenian Hall. Today it serves as headquarters for the Orleans County Historical Society. It is within the Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
Athenian Hall (1834–36) is now operated by the Orleans County Historical Society as the Old Stone House Museum, and anchors the Historic District of Brownington. It was the first granite public building in Vermont.
Alexander Twilight Hall at his alma mater Middlebury College was named in his honor.
The Alexander Twilight Auditorium at Lyndon State College is named for Twilight.
The Aspire Alexander Twilight College Preparatory Academy in Sacramento, California, was named for Twilight. It opened in the fall of 2009.
The Twilight Awards, a special awards show to celebrate teachers, schools and education nonprofits were named for Twilight.
An official portrait of Alexander Twilight hangs in the Vermont State House