Cuffe, Paul (1759–1817)

US seaman and reformer. He became a ship and property owner in 1806, settling on the Westport River where he built a public schoolhouse and served as a minister among the Quakers. He led a voyage to help 38 black Americans emigrate to Sierra Leone in 1815, but died before he could make a second trip.

He was born in Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts. His father was of African descent, and his mother was an American Indian. While a seaman, he and his brother John appealed to the courts of Massachusetts to consider why those denied suffrage had to pay taxes in 1780. Although unsuccessful at the time, their concerns were reflected in the act of 1783 by which black Americans acquired legal rights and privileges in Massachusetts.