William Howard Day
(October 16, 1825 – December 3, 1900)
Abolitionist, Editor, Educator, Minister
Education: Oberlin College
He was a black abolitionist, editor, educator, and minister. After his father died when he was four, Day went to live with J. P. Williston and his wife who ensured that he received a good education and learned the printer’s trade. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degree from Oberlin College. He was a printer and newspaper editor. He fought for the civil rights of African Americans a number of ways, as a journalist, teacher, and leader of the Freedmen’s Bureau. He was an orator, making a speech to 10,000 newly emancipated people on what biographer Todd Mealy called the first march on Washington.
On November 25, 1852, Day married Lucy Stanton, an 1846 graduate of Oberlin College. In 1858 their only child was born, Florence Day. In 1858, Day abandoned his wife and child. Day and Lucy Stanton were legally divorced in 1872. In 1873, Day married Georgia F. Bell.
Day died in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on December 3, 1900, at the age of 75. His resting place is Lincoln Cemetery in Harrisburg.
Legacy
The William Howard Day Cemetery was established in Steelton in the 1900s as a burial place for all people, including people of color who were denied burial at the nearby Baldwin Cemetery. It remains a popular burial site for local African-American families.
The William Howard Day School in the City of Harrisburg was named for him.
The William Howard Day homes, a public-housing community located at Reilly Road and Herr Street in Harrisburg.