Edward Richard Dudley (March 11, 1911 South Boston, Halifax County, Virginia – February 10, 2005 Manhattan, New York City) was the first African-American to hold the rank of Ambassador of the United States, serving as Ambassador to Liberia from 1949 to 1953.
Dudley graduated with a B.S. degree from Johnson C. Smith College in 1932, and then taught school in Gainsboro, Virginia. He studied dentistry for a year on a scholarship at Howard University...
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Edward Richard Dudley (March 11, 1911 South Boston, Halifax County, Virginia – February 10, 2005 Manhattan, New York City) was the first African-American to hold the rank of Ambassador of the United States, serving as Ambassador to Liberia from 1949 to 1953.
Dudley graduated with a B.S. degree from Johnson C. Smith College in 1932, and then taught school in Gainsboro, Virginia. He studied dentistry for a year on a scholarship at Howard University, and then moved to New York City.
In New York, Dudley worked odd jobs, among them as stage manager for Orson Welles at a public works theater project. In 1938, he enrolled at St. John's University School of Law, graduating with an LL.B. in 1941. For a brief period he practiced law, entered Democratic politics in Harlem, and was an Assistant New York State Attorney General in 1942. In 1942, he married Rae Oley, and they had a son, Edward R. Dudley, Jr.
In 1943, he joined the N.A.A.C.P. legal team. As an assistant special counsel, he wrote...
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