Arkansas’ ninth governor, Powell Clayton, was a Union army commander who commanded Union troops during the Little Rock Campaign and the Battle of Pine Bluff. As governor he also suppressed Ku Klux Klan violence, created Arkansas first free public school system, established the precursor to the  Arkansas School for the Deaf, and much much more. Image Credit: www.wikipedia.com Powell Clayton was born in Bethel Township, Pennsylvania, on August 7, 1833, to Ann Clarke Clayton and

In 1986, Edward J. Perkins became the first black ambassador assigned to the Republic of South Africa, where he was an ardent opponent of apartheid. Throughout his 24 year career, he also served as a U.S. foreign ambassador to Ghana, Liberia, the United Nations, and Australia.