Thomas Mundy Peterson's Historic Vote

Thomas Mundy Peterson's Historic Vote. . , On March 31, 1870, a local handyman walked into Perth Amboy's City Hall and cast his ballot in a referendum on a revised city charter. With that act, Thomas Mundy Peterson became the first African American in the country to vote under the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution., Section 1 of the Amendment stated:,

"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

, Citizen Peterson , After voting, Thomas Mundy Peterson embraced civic life, continuing to vote, serving as a petit juror, attending Republican and Prohibition Party conventions, helping with a later city charter revision, and even running for local office. He died at age 80 on February 4, 1904 and was buried next to his wife, Daphne, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Perth Amboy. You can learn more about Thomas Peterson in the free booklet at East Jersey Old Town Village in Piscataway's Johnson Park., Proving Peterson's Priority , In response to a challenge, in April 1884, a committee from Perth Amboy confirmed Peterson really had been the first black voter. In recognition, city residents had a gold medal created and presented to him on Decoration Day (later known as Memorial Day), May 30, 1884, in the City Hall chamber where Peterson had cast his historic ballot.