Pierre Toussaint
Pierre Toussaint (born Pierre; 27 June 1766 – June 30, 1853) was a Haitian-American hairdresser, philanthropist, and former slave brought to New York City by his owners in 1787. Freed in 1807 after the death of his mistress, Pierre took the surname of "Toussaint" in honor of the hero of the Haitian Revolution. In 1996, he was declared "Venerable" by Pope John Paul II.

After his marriage in 1811 to Juliette Noel, Toussaint and his wife opened their home as an orphanage, employment bureau, and a refuge for travelers. He also contributed funds and helped raise money to build Saint Patrick's Cathedral on Mulberry Street. He was considered "one of the leading black New Yorkers of his day." His ghostwritten memoir, "Memoir of Pierre Toussaint", was published in 1854.

Toussaint is the first layperson to be buried in the crypt below the main altar of Saint Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, generally reserved for bishops of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.
Q5639720
Haitian-American
PER
Q13534615
former slave
Concept
Q205783
hero
PER
Q689128
Haitian Revolution
EVE
Q51619
Venerable
PER
Q160645
orphanage
Concept
Q941763
Saint Patrick's Cathedral
LOC
Q15407657
layperson
Concept
Q624556
Saint Patrick's Cathedral
LOC
Q611644
bishops
Concept
Q1365153
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
LOC
Q945051
Pierre Toussaint
PER
Q945051
Pierre Toussaint
PER
1766-06-27T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
27 June 1766
DATE
1853-06-30T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
June 30, 1853
DATE
1787-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1787
DATE
1807-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1807
DATE
1996-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1996
DATE
1811-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1811
DATE
1854-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1854
DATE
date of death
canonization status
participant
diocese
cathedral