HONORING WILLIAM LANSON FOR HIS UNIQUE AND INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CITY OF NEW HAVEN; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 171
(Extensions of Remarks - October 01, 2020)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E911]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING WILLIAM LANSON FOR HIS UNIQUE AND INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO
THE CITY OF NEW HAVEN
_____
HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO
of connecticut
in the house of representatives
Thursday, October 1, 2020
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I am honored to rise today to join the
Amistad Committee, the City of New Haven, and all of those gathered
today in paying tribute to a pioneering African American who quite
literally changed the landscape of the City of New Haven, William
Lanson, and who ultimately faced defamation and destitution from a
white Majority that used its levers of state power to put him into
ruin. But, today, we return him to his rightful and honorable place in
the history of our town as a bronze statue is dedicated in his honor.
According to a Hartford Courant piece in 2001, quote, ``William
Lanson was an extraordinary figure in early 19th-century New Haven.
Almost certainly an escaped slave, Lanson overcame incredible odds to
become a highly successful businessman, one of the earliest black
entrepreneurs in Connecticut.'' William Lanson was a man ahead of his
time in many ways, none more so than in the innovative engineering
concepts that he brought to his successful projects in the City of New
Haven. Though little is known about his earliest years, we do know that
Lanson and his family moved to New Haven around 1803 and within just
seven years he became the city's principal wharf builder.
In 1810, he was the only contractor able to complete the complicated
1,350-foot extension to the city's Long Wharf, enabling larger boats to
dock in the city's port and allowing the city to compete with nearby
ports including New York. The extension was only possible because he
employed specially designed scows, carefully designed by Lanson
himself, capable of carrying twenty-five tons of stone at a time. The
stone was quarried by him and his laborers, from nearby East Rock,
floated on the scows to the harbor where they were installed to
stabilize the pilings for the wharf's extension. Following his success
at Long Wharf, Lanson was contracted to build the retaining wall for
the newly planned Farmington Canal where it flowed into the harbor
basin. These two projects changed the very character of New Haven
Harbor and the City itself, further allowing both to thrive and
prosper--a feat which would have not been accomplished without William
Lanson's invaluable contributions.
It was more than the architecture of the city to which he
contributed. It was its business landscape, its civic culture, and its
moral fiber, as an African American leader who fought their
disenfranchisement. He was a successful businessman, operating a hotel,
grocery, and livery service, as well as a founding member of the Temple
Street Church, which later became the Dixwell Avenue Congregational
United Church of Christ. He was a fierce abolitionist and advocate for
voting rights.
According to research by Yale, in 1811, the Reverend Timothy Dwight,
President of Yale College, praised William Lanson, as quote,
``honourable proof of the character which they sustain, both for
capacity, and integrity, in the view of respectable men.'' But, as the
Yale research said, quote, ``By the end of the 1820s such praise had
all but vanished . . . . and Lanson found himself beset financially and
attacked and ridiculed.'' According to Amy L. Trout, curator at the New
Haven Colony Historical Society, quote, ``he was constantly harassed by
the police. The minute he was released from the police station and got
home, he would be arrested for something else.''
Late in life, Lanson wrote that he was jailed five times in six years
for a total of 450 days, for selling liquor at his hotel, the Liberian,
a very common practice. The pressure continued until he died forgotten,
defamed, and destitute. So, we right that wrong. And, we must. Lanson
was an unbelievably important and impressive man, an African American
who reshaped, reformed, and re-invigorated. Doing so as an African
American in the 19th century. He was a force.
William Lanson left an indelible mark on the City of New Haven and I
am glad to be able to witness our community coming together to
recognize, celebrate, and preserve his story. My deepest thanks to the
dedicated members of the Amistad Committee and the City of New Haven
who have ensured that William Lanson's contributions to our community
will always be remembered.
____________________