Julia Chinn
Literate, great with numbers, and business-savvy.
The images of her vary wildly. She’s been described various ways, from “fair enough to pass as white” to “mulatto,” brown, yellow, “negro,” and “African.”
Common law wife of Richard Mentor Johnson.
She ran his business and school while he was away. (And he was nearly always away.)
After she died, Richard became Martin Van Buren’s vice president.
For more on Julia: read The Vice President's Black Wife: The Untold Life of Julia Chinn by Amrita Chakrabarti Myers. Or check out my wrap-up post.
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