Pierre Toussaint

Pierre Toussaint (; June 27, 1766 – June 30, 1853) was a Haitian slave, hairdresser and philanthropist, brought to New York City by his masters in 1787. He was declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II in 1996.

Freed in 1807 after the death of his mistress, Pierre took the surname of "Toussaint" in honor of Toussaint Louverture, a leader of the Haitian Revolution. Toussaint also became a successful barber and used his wealth for various philanthropic causes. He also helped finance the construction of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral.

Credited as the de facto founder of Catholic Charities of New York, Toussaint is the first and only layman to be buried in the crypt below the main altar of the current St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, generally reserved for bishops of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.

Biography

Early life Pierre was born into slavery on June 27, 1766 in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, in what is now Haiti. He was the son of Ursule, the mistress’s waiting maid. The plantation was located on the Artibonite River near Saint-Marc on the colony's west coast.

Pierre was educated as a child by the Bérard family's tutors and was trained as a house slave. The senior Bérards returned to France, taking Pierre with them, and their son Jean Bérard took over the plantation. As tensions rose, which would lead to the rising of slaves and free people of color in the Haitian Revolution, in 1797, Bérard and his second wife left the island for New York City, taking five of their slaves with them,

New York Upon their arrival in New York, Bérard had Pierre apprenticed to one of New York's leading hairdressers. Bérard then returned to Saint-Domingue to see to his property. After Jean Bérard died in St. Domingue of pleurisy, He saved his money and paid for his sister Rosalie's freedom. He owned a house on Franklin Street, where the Toussaints sheltered orphans and fostered numerous boys in succession.

Toussaint also helped raise money to build a new Catholic church in New York, which became Old St. Patrick's Cathedral on Mulberry Street. Toussaint is the only layman to be honored by burial in the crypt below the main altar of St Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. The Pierre Toussaint Haitian-Catholic Center in Miami, Florida, is named for him. administered by the Archdiocese of New York’s Office of Black Ministry, provides scholarships to graduating high school seniors of diverse backgrounds from schools throughout the Archdiocese to assist with the educational fees and expenses of college study. In February 2024, Toussaint was featured in the New York Times Overlooked No More series of obituaries which were not published at the time of the recipient's death.