Born into slavery in 1816, Robert Harlan went on to an amazing career as a politician, Civil Rights activist, real estate speculator, and horse racing enthusiast. He was also, apparently, the half-brother of a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
At Robert Harlan's birth, his enslaver was James Harlan (1800-1863). Robert grew up alongside John Marshall Harlan, a white man who was the son of James Harlan. It is widely believed that the two men were half brothers. John Marshall Harlan later became a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
Robert Harlan's life is recounted in detail in Peter S. Canellos' magnificent book about John Marshall Harlan, titled "The Great Dissenter." Canellos does a masterful job of tracing the career of Robert Harlan.
John Marshall Harlan's jurisprudence was marked by concern for the economically disadvantaged. In the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the court as a whole ruled that racial segregation was legal, and that "separate-but-equal" accommodations and facilities were acceptable. The sole dissenter on the court was John Marshall Harlan, who saw things differently, possibly because of his own family relationships.
And as for Robert Harlan himself: he was emancipated in 1848. He moved out to California in the Gold Rush and quickly became wealthy, either by running a store, or by gambling, or both In 1859 he moved to England, where he imported racehorses from America and entered them in races. He came to Cincinnati during the reconstruction era and became a state representative and the colonel of an African American militia battalion. He died in Cincinnati in 1897.
At Robert Harlan's birth, his enslaver was James Harlan (1800-1863). Robert grew up alongside John Marshall Harlan, a white man who was the son of James Harlan. It is widely believed that the two men were half brothers. John Marshall Harlan later became a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
Robert Harlan's life is recounted in detail in Peter S. Canellos' magnificent book about John Marshall Harlan, titled "The Great Dissenter." Canellos does a masterful job of tracing the career of Robert Harlan.
John Marshall Harlan's jurisprudence was marked by concern for the economically disadvantaged. In the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the court as a whole ruled that racial segregation was legal, and that "separate-but-equal" accommodations and facilities were acceptable. The sole dissenter on the court was John Marshall Harlan, who saw things differently, possibly because of his own family relationships.
And as for Robert Harlan himself: he was emancipated in 1848. He moved out to California in the Gold Rush and quickly became wealthy, either by running a store, or by gambling, or both In 1859 he moved to England, where he imported racehorses from America and entered them in races. He came to Cincinnati during the reconstruction era and became a state representative and the colonel of an African American militia battalion. He died in Cincinnati in 1897.
Born into slavery in 1816, Robert Harlan went on to an amazing career as a politician, Civil Rights activist, real estate speculator, and horse racing enthusiast. He was also, apparently, the half-brother of a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
At Robert Harlan's birth, his enslaver was James Harlan (1800-1863). Robert grew up alongside John Marshall Harlan, a white man who was the son of James Harlan. It is widely believed that the two men were half brothers. John Marshall Harlan later became a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
Robert Harlan's life is recounted in detail in Peter S. Canellos' magnificent book about John Marshall Harlan, titled "The Great Dissenter." Canellos does a masterful job of tracing the career of Robert Harlan.
John Marshall Harlan's jurisprudence was marked by concern for the economically disadvantaged. In the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the court as a whole ruled that racial segregation was legal, and that "separate-but-equal" accommodations and facilities were acceptable. The sole dissenter on the court was John Marshall Harlan, who saw things differently, possibly because of his own family relationships.
And as for Robert Harlan himself: he was emancipated in 1848. He moved out to California in the Gold Rush and quickly became wealthy, either by running a store, or by gambling, or both In 1859 he moved to England, where he imported racehorses from America and entered them in races. He came to Cincinnati during the reconstruction era and became a state representative and the colonel of an African American militia battalion. He died in Cincinnati in 1897.
At Robert Harlan's birth, his enslaver was James Harlan (1800-1863). Robert grew up alongside John Marshall Harlan, a white man who was the son of James Harlan. It is widely believed that the two men were half brothers. John Marshall Harlan later became a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
Robert Harlan's life is recounted in detail in Peter S. Canellos' magnificent book about John Marshall Harlan, titled "The Great Dissenter." Canellos does a masterful job of tracing the career of Robert Harlan.
John Marshall Harlan's jurisprudence was marked by concern for the economically disadvantaged. In the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the court as a whole ruled that racial segregation was legal, and that "separate-but-equal" accommodations and facilities were acceptable. The sole dissenter on the court was John Marshall Harlan, who saw things differently, possibly because of his own family relationships.
And as for Robert Harlan himself: he was emancipated in 1848. He moved out to California in the Gold Rush and quickly became wealthy, either by running a store, or by gambling, or both In 1859 he moved to England, where he imported racehorses from America and entered them in races. He came to Cincinnati during the reconstruction era and became a state representative and the colonel of an African American militia battalion. He died in Cincinnati in 1897.
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