Alexander Twilight to be honored with portrait at Vt. Statehouse

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) - A prominent Black Vermont lawmaker and educator will soon be added to the collection of portraits at the Statehouse in Montpelier.

Alexander Twilight was born in Corinth in 1795 and became an educator, minister, and politician. The Middlebury graduate is the first African American man known to have earned a bachelor’s degree from an American college. Another first came in 1836 when he was elected to represent Brownington in the Vermont Legislature.

His portrait will be painted by Middlebury artist Kate Runde and it’s expected to take a year to be finished.

The National Life Group is funding the portrait, which is part of a larger effort to broaden the representation of women and people of color at the Statehouse.