1848 - John B. Russwurm Named Governor of Liberia’s Maryland Colony

On June 16, 1848, John B. Russwurm—a pioneering Pan-Africanist and one of the first African Americans to graduate from a U.S. college (Bowdoin, 1826)—was appointed governor of the Maryland-in-Africa colony in present-day Liberia. Born in Jamaica and raised in the U.S., Russwurm was also co-founder of Freedom’s Journal, the first Black-owned newspaper in America. Disillusioned by persistent racism in the U.S., Russwurm emigrated to West Africa in the 1830s. As governor of the Maryland colony, he promoted self-governance, agriculture, and education for formerly enslaved settlers and native populations. His leadership reflected an early example of diasporic return and institution-building—long before Pan-Africanism became a formal movement. Although Liberia\’s colonial project remains controversial, Russwurm’s role in it represents a complex, often overlooked chapter in global Black leadership, migration, and sovereignty during the 19th century. His legacy bridges Black American intellectualism with African nation-building efforts rarely taught today.