Thomas Shorter's entry in the Cornell matriculation book

The Overlooked Story of Cornell’s First African American Student

Having escaped enslavement as a child, Thomas Shauter 1882 matriculated on the 10th anniversary of the University’s opening

Editor’s note: Sadly, no photos of Shauter are known to survive, so we are unable to include one here. The image above depicts his entry in Cornell’s matriculation book (under his last name’s original spelling).

By Corey Ryan Earle ’07

When writing about history, declaring “firsts” can be a dangerous practice. As soon as a particular pioneer is named the “first” of something, new information often emerges suggesting someone else deserved the credit.

But as far as current evidence suggests, Thomas Shauter 1882 was the first Black American to enroll at Cornell, matriculating in 1878 on the 10th anniversary of the University’s opening.

In Cornell’s first decade, several Black students had enrolled.

They included William Bowler 1873 from Haiti, Frank Dawson 1878 from St. Croix, and Francisco Valdés y Rodriguez 1878 from Cuba.

But all came from abroad, not the U.S.

An illustration of Corey Earle with the title Storytime with Corey

Thanks to the efforts of retired University of Massachusetts historian Peter O’Connell—who has meticulously pieced together the family’s history from archival sources—we now know much more about Shauter and his story.

Shauter was born into enslavement as Thomas Shorter on the plantation of Stanislaus Blandford, located in Prince George’s County, MD.

According to recollections by Shauter’s younger brother, they escaped in the early 1860s by hiding in the secret compartment of cart that was carrying a load of potatoes. They relocated to the Washington, DC, area when Shauter was around four or five years old.

According to recollections by Shauter’s younger brother, they escaped enslavement on a plantation in the early 1860s by hiding in the secret compartment of cart that was carrying a load of potatoes.

The family came into contact with the Quaker community in D.C., likely attending its schools for the formerly enslaved.

By 1867, they’d moved to the small Central New York community of Sherwood—a hamlet near Aurora (about 25 miles north of Ithaca) that, at the time, was dominated by Quaker reformers active in the Underground Railroad, abolition, and women’s rights.

While it’s unclear what led Shauter’s family to relocate to Sherwood, a likely influence was Emily Howland; a Sherwood native and Quaker, she traveled to D.C. to run a school for Black women from 1857–59.

After a period back home working on women’s suffrage with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, Howland returned to the D.C. area during the Civil War, running schools at refugee camps for the formerly enslaved.

Emily Howland
wikimedia commons
Emily Howland.

Thomas Shauter and his siblings may have been among her students.

As an advocate for women and people of color, Howland was interested in the new Cornell University and its commitment to “any person.”

Within weeks of its opening in 1868, Howland spoke with Ezra Cornell on a Cayuga Lake boat trip, eager to confirm that the new institution would be coeducational.

As she wrote after the conversation: “The way for women to enter was the absorbing thought of Mr. Cornell.”

Emily’s niece, Isabel Howland 1881, would matriculate on the Hill in 1877. One year later, Thomas Shauter followed.

(Emily and Isabel Howland would later fund a scholarship for another early Black Cornellian, Evie Lee Carpenter 1918, who’d name her daughter after Emily.)

Unfortunately, little is known about Shauter’s Cornell experience. He enrolled in what was called the “optional course” of study, a flexible curriculum that allowed students to pursue their interests, concluding in a bachelor’s degree if the faculty deemed it appropriate.

Shauter lived in Cascadilla Hall before finding employment at a boarding house—likely 105 Dewitt Place (built in 1874 and designed by William Henry Miller 1872).

Shauter enrolled in what was called the “optional course” of study, a flexible curriculum that allowed students to pursue their interests, concluding in a bachelor’s degree if the faculty deemed it appropriate.

According to the 1880 U.S. Census, he was one of 13 occupants, who included seven other Cornell students. The census taker, however, listed Shauter only as a “servant,” despite his enrollment with the others.

(This is also the earliest record of him changing his name from “Shorter”; he would use Shauter from 1880 onward, despite his family maintaining the original spelling).

With very few students of color at Cornell, Shauter connected with the local Black community.

In fall 1879, he attended a meeting at Ithaca’s St. James A.M.E. Zion Church to organize a club in support of the New York gubernatorial campaign of Alonzo Cornell, Ezra’s eldest son. Shauter was elected secretary.

A stereo card of Cascadilla Hall
rare and manuscript collections
A stereo card of Cascadilla Hall, where Shauter first lived as a student.

(As it happens, the only other known formerly enslaved Cornellian is George Washington Fields 1890, whom Alonzo encouraged to attend the Law School.)

Shauter left Cornell after two years, without completing a degree.

By 1885, he was working as a stenographer in Cleveland, OH. He may have been persuaded west by his fellow Dewitt Place boarder, Holmes Marshall 1883, who was from Cleveland and returned there after graduation.

Shauter remained civically active, helping the Cleveland Association of Colored Men organize an Emancipation Day celebration in 1910.

With very few students of color at Cornell, Shauter connected with the local Black community.

He married Florence Harris Richardson; their son, Robert Shauter, would graduate from Case Western Reserve with a degree in pharmacy.

Robert opened a chain of Shauter’s Drug Stores in the area, becoming the only Black member of the Ohio Northern Druggists Association and the Cleveland Academy of Pharmacy.

When Thomas Shauter died in 1926, the Chicago Defender, an influential Black newspaper, called him a “pioneer of court reporters of our group in Cleveland.”

Being the first African American to matriculate on the Hill, he was a pioneer in Ithaca as well—and should be remembered as such.

An expert on Big Red lore, Corey Ryan Earle ’07 teaches “The First American University,” a wildly popular spring semester course on Cornell history.

(Top: Image of Shauter’s entry in the Cornell matriculation book courtesy of Rare and Manuscript Collections)

Published February 16, 2026

Comments

  1. NICHOLAS KASS, Class of 1965
    16 Feb, 2026

    History is always interesting and I was fortunate to have with Walter Lafebre

    Reply
  2. Daniel Girard, Class of 1979
    24 Feb, 2026

    Great story, thank you.

    Reply
  3. Helen A. Claxton, Class of 1974
    25 Feb, 2026

    Thank you, Corey Ryan Earle ’07 for unearthing this bit of Cornell history. Well told. Delighted to know of the Quaker connection. Before entering Cornell, I attended a Quaker secondary school which has been coeducational since its founding in 1796.

    Ezra Cornell’s commitment to “any person” would, in today’s vernacular, be a commitment to inclusion or/and diversity. Saddened to see even the slightest equivocation on this guiding principle by the University in recent years. Ezra got it right to begin with. He’s still right.

    Reply
  4. Jill M, Class of 1984
    26 Feb, 2026

    Very interesting. Remarkable story.

    Reply

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