Dana Albert "D. A." Dorsey (1872–1940) was a businessman, banker, and philanthropist who became one of the first African–American millionaires in Florida and the American South. Childhood and education Dana Albert Dorsey was born in Quitman, Georgia. He was the son of former slaves and the first child in his family who was not born into slavery. He received only a fourth-grade formal education, teaching himself after that. Carpenter, businessman, philanthropist Dorsey came to the Miami area of South Florida around 1896. He worked as a carpenter for the Henry Flagler Florida East Coast Railroad. During that time, he recognized the need to provide housing for black workers. He purchased one parcel of land in Overtown at a time, on which he designed and constructed one rental house per parcel, reinvesting the rental income to build more and rent more, eventually expanding as far north as Fort Lauderdale. In 1917, he and his wife Rebecca sold land to the City of Miami for a park for African–Americans (during an era of segregation). Dorsey Park is located on Northwest 17th Street and First Avenue. In 1919, Dorsey was forced to sell Fisher Island to the automotive pioneer Carl G. Fisher, who was developing Miami Beach. In 1926, Fisher traded 7 acres of the island to William Kissam Vanderbilt II in return for a yacht. Vanderbilt's improvements led to what is today one of the wealthiest and most exclusive residential enclaves in the area. Dorsey was a trustee at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Overtown. The first black-owned hotel in Miami was his Dorsey Hotel, and he was the owner of the Negro Savings Bank. Dorsey was a firm believer in education and he donated a large quantity of land for black schools. Legacy When Dorsey died in 1940, flags were lowered to half-staff all over Miami. He was buried in Lincoln Memorial Park, Miami's African American cemetery during segregation. He donated to Dade County Public Schools the property at NW 71st Street and 17th Avenue on which Dorsey High School (today known as the D. A. Dorsey Educational Center) was later built. The D. A. Dorsey Educational Center has a rich and positive tradition in the Liberty City area of Miami as a fully operational adult education center. The Dorsey Memorial Library Dana Anderson Dorsey is often described as Miami's first Black millionaire. Through his constant reinvesting of his rental income