Nathan Thomas Velar
American elected official (1858–1928)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nathan Thomas Velar (September 12, 1858 – August 21, 1928), also known as N. T. Velar, was an American postmaster, civic leader, businessman, and elected official. By the late 19th-century, he was the first and only Black postmaster in the State of Pennsylvania. Velar served on the executive committee of Booker T. Washington's National Negro Business League.
Nathan Thomas Velar | |
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| Born | September 12, 1858 Fredericktown, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | August 21, 1928 (aged 69) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Resting place | All Saints Braddock Catholic Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupations | Postmaster, civic leader, elected official, businessman, merchant, wire drawer |
Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Mary Louisa Amoureux (m. 1882–1928; his death) |
| Children | 11 |
Early life
Nathan Thomas Velar was born on September 12, 1858, in Fredericktown, Missouri.[1][2] As a child his family moved to Sparta, Illinois, later followed by a move to Rankin, Pennsylvania.[1]
He married Mary Louisa Amoureux in 1882,[2] and together they had 11 children.[3]
Career
From 1887 to 1893, Velar worked as a wire drawer at Braddock Wire & Steel Company (later Consolidated Wire & Steel Company) in Braddock, Pennsylvania.[2] This was followed by work at Carnegie Steel Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[2]
In 1893, Velar moved to Brinton in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he served as the postmaster for ten years from April 29, 1897 until August 1907.[1][2][4][5] He was the first and only Black postmaster in the state of Pennsylvania by the late 19th-century.[2][6][7]
He also owned and operated a general store on Bessemer Avenue in East Pittsburgh.[8] In 1889, he was elected as a school director, and a year later he was elected as a member of the Borough Council of Rankin.[1]
Velar was a member of the Afro-American Republican Club of Allegheny, and served as the organization's president in 1904.[1][9] Velar served on the executive committee of the National Negro Business League founded by Booker T. Washington, and held a lifetime membership.[10][11]
Velar died on August 21, 1928, in Pittsburgh,[1] and was buried at All Saints Braddock Catholic Cemetery.
