About Ebenezer Bassett
Ebenezer Don Carlos Bassett (October 16, 1833 – November 13, 1908) was an African American who was appointed United States Ambassador to Haiti in 1869. He was the first African-American diplomat and the fourth U.S. ambassador to Haiti since the two countries established relations in 1862.
Ebenezer Bassett was appointed as new leaders emerged among free African Americans after the American Civil War. An educator, abolitionist, and civil rights activist, Bassett was the U.S. diplomatic envoy in 1869 to Haiti, the "Black Republic" of the Western Hemisphere and also served as Consul General to the Dominican Republic, both countries on the island of Hispaniola. Through eight years of bloody civil wars and coups d'état there, Bassett served in one of the most crucial, but difficult postings of his time. The island was of strategic importance in the Caribbean basin for its shipping lanes and as a naval base.