Richard Humphreys (philanthropist)

Richard Humphreys (c. 1750 – 1832) was an American philanthropist, Quaker abolitionist, and watchmaker known for his substantial bequest which led to the founding of the Institute for Colored Youth, later Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, the oldest historically black college in the United States.

Humphreys was born in the West Indies, likely on the island of Tortola. Of mixed European and African ancestry, he emigrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he became a successful watchmaker and a devout member of the Society of Friends (Quakers). Deeply affected by the institution of slavery and its effects on the African American population, Humphreys dedicated much of his life to advocating for the education and betterment of free African Americans.

Upon his death in 1832, Humphreys bequeathed one-tenth of his estate, approximately $10,000, to a trust to be used "in instructing the descendants of the African Race in school learning, in the various branches of the mechanic arts, trades and agriculture, in order to prepare and fit and qualify them to act as teachers in such mechanical arts and trades and agriculture, as well as in school learning; and so to spread learning among people of African descent."

This bequest was initially used to establish the African Institute in Philadelphia in 1837. This institute was later renamed the Institute for Colored Youth and relocated to Cheyney, Pennsylvania, in 1902. Cheyney University of Pennsylvania continues to operate today, carrying on Humphreys’ legacy of providing educational opportunities for African Americans.

Humphreys' foresight and commitment to racial equality through education made him a significant figure in the abolitionist movement and a pioneer in the development of Black education in the United States. His contribution is remembered and honored by Cheyney University and within the Quaker community.