Biography
Black abolitionist, former enslaved person, Boston Vigilance Committee leader, and Underground Railroad conductor. With Robert Morris, Hayden organized and led the February 15, 1851 rescue of Shadrach Minkins from the Boston Court House. Federal authorities prosecuted him — the first Black American tried by the United States under federal law for aiding a fugitive — but the jury refused to convict. Hayden continued to harbor fugitives at his Beacon Hill home, served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1873, and helped recruit Black soldiers for the 54th Massachusetts during the Civil War. Defended by Richard Henry Dana Jr.
