Brian Mitchell, an Illinois historian, wrote a graphic novel that shares Oscar Dunn’s story with the hopes of educating people about his ancestor.
Oscar James Dunn, pictured circa 1860-65, was the first elected Black lieutenant governor in Louisiana and the United States. Brian K. Mitchell is an educator. As the director of research and interpretation at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, he is knowledgable about the gravitas of history and the responsibility carried by recorders of history.
Mitchell said his curiosity led him to write his doctoral dissertation on Dunn. Years of research culminated in the book, which was published in 2021. Dunn was the running mate of Henry Warmoth, an attorney from Illinois who was known for his corrupt ways. Mitchell’s book said Warmoth profited from his position, making $1 million during his term as governor, on an $8,000 annual salary. Warmoth was quoted insaying, “I don’t pretend to be honest. I only pretend to be as honest as anybody in politics. Why, damn it, everybody is demoralized down here. Corruption is the fashion.
An extract from the reconstructed constitution of the state of Louisiana shows portraits of the distinguished members of the Convention and Assembly, circa 1868. In the center is Oscar Dunn, lieutenant governor of Louisiana, seated at a desk. Q: In doing this graphic history, were your thoughts that the information shouldn’t just be for academia, it should be for young folks too?
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