1794Thomas Dalton, the grandson of Gloster Dalton and the abolitionist who helped found the Massachusetts General Colored Association, was born in Gloucester.People and Communities, African American History, Notable People

Born in 1794, Thomas Dalton was a business owner, abolitionist, author, and education advocate. Dalton moved to Boston in 1817 and eventually owned a clothing store. In 1819, Dalton helped found the African Humane Society, which bought land in Kettle Cove for possible use as an agricultural school for Black students. Several years after co-founding the Massachusetts General Colored Association, Dalton helped merge that organization with the New England Anti-Slavery Society. As a founder of the Infant School Association, he was responsible for a petition to establish a public school for Black students and also advocated for school integration. Dalton died in 1883.