Born in 1852 in New Haven, Connecticut, Edward A. Bouchet became the first Black person to graduate from Hopkins Grammar School in 1870, at which he was also valedictorian. He was one of the earliest Black Americans to complete his bachelor’s degree at Yale College in 1874. Bouchet made history two years later, becoming the first Black American to earn a doctorate degree in the United States. At that time, Bouchet was the sixth person in the western hemisphere to earn a doctorate in physics. He was also the first Black American to be nominated to– and one of the first Black Americans to be elected to – the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. After earning his doctorate in physics, he taught at the School for Colored Youth in Philadelphia for more than 25 years. He died in 1918. Bouchet’s portrait hangs in the nave of Sterling Memorial Library.