James Monroe Gregory ( January 23 , 1849 – December 17 , 1915 ) was a Professor of Latin and Dean at Howard University . During the American Civil War , he worked in Cleveland for the education and aid of escaped slaves . He initially attended Oberlin University . He transferred to Howard and was the valedictorian of Howard 's first graduating class in 1872 . He then became a member of faculty , where he served until the late 1880s . During that time he was active in civil rights , particularly related to the education of African American children . He fought to desegregate Washington D.C. schools in the early 1880s and participated in the Colored Conventions Movement and was a delegate to the 1892 Republican National Convention . In 1890 he founded the American Association of Educators of Colored Youth . In 1893 he published a biography of Frederick Douglass . In 1897 he was removed at Howard and moved to New Jersey where he became principal of Bordentown Industrial and Manual Training School
1892 Republican National Convention
1892 Republican National Convention
James Monroe Gregory