Downtown in Baltimore, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Harry Sythe Cummings
(1866 - 1917)
Harry S. Cummings was the first African American elected to the Baltimore City Council.
Born in Baltimore, Cummings received his primary education in Baltimore City public schools. He attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at age sixteen. He was one of the first two African Americans permitted to attend the University of Maryland Law School. In 1889, he completed law school one year early and was admitted to the Maryland Bar.
In 1890, at age twenty-four, Cummings won a seat on the Baltimore City Council and became the first African American to be elected to public office in Baltimore history. He served numerous terms until his death in 1917, and was active in local and national politics.
As a councilman, Cummings championed the rights of African Americans in Baltimore at a time when they faced significant political, social, and economic disenfranchisement. He fought against discriminatory housing segregation laws and successfully introduced legislation to create the first public technical school in Baltimore open to African Americans.
To honor the legacy of Harry
this page online
Erected 2017 by City of Baltimore, Maryland.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Government & Politics. A significant historical date for this entry is December 18, 2017.
Location. 39° 17.426′ N, 76° 36.606′ W. Marker is in Baltimore, Maryland. It is in Downtown. It is at the intersection of East Fayette Street and Holliday Street, on the right when traveling east on East Fayette Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 401 E Fayette St, Baltimore MD 21202, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, in the Chesapeake Bay Region, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within
Credits. This page was last revised on July 31, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 31, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 466 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 31, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
