Henry Ossian Flipper (March 21, 1856 – April 26, 1940)

Flipper, born into slavery in Thomasville, Georgia, became the
first African American cadet to graduate from the United States
Military Academy at West Point, New New York on June 14, 1877.

After losing his commission in the Army, Henry Flipper
worked throughout Mexico and Latin America as an
assistant to the Secretary of the Interior. He retired
to Atlanta in 1931 and died of natural causes.

The United States Military Academy—the first military school
in America—was founded by Congress in 1802 for the purpose
of educating and training young men in the theory and practice
of military science.