NJ AR122

Thomas Mundy Peterson, born October 6, 1824 in Metuchen, New Jersey to a formerly enslaved mother and free father, became the first African American to vote under the 15th Amendment on March 31, 1870 in Perth Amboy

Peterson voted in a Perth Amboy city charter revision election just one day after the Secretary of State certified ratification of the 15th Amendment on March 30, 1870

Following his historic vote, Peterson served on a seven-member committee to revise the Perth Amboy City Charter and became the first African American to serve on a jury in Perth Amboy

On May 30, 1884, citizens of Perth Amboy presented Peterson with a gold medallion bearing Abraham Lincoln's face and commemorating his status as the first African American voter under the 15th Amendment

The resolution directs copies to be transmitted to the Mayor of Perth Amboy and to Juanita C. Wooten, Ed.D, a descendant of Thomas Mundy Peterson