Frederick C. Branch, The First Black Man In The Marine Corps Was A Member of Kappa Alpha Psi
Frederick C. Branch was an initiate of the Alpha Epsilon chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi. He was the first African-American officer of the United States Marine Corps.
Frederick was born in Hamlet, North Carolina. He attended Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte before being drafted into the Army in 1943. He reported to Fort Bragg where he was selected to join the Marine Corps. This was due to an Executive Order signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt which ended racial discrimination in any government agency. This gave African Americans who were previously banned from becoming a Marine the opportunity to join the corps.
He underwent training with other Blacks who would become known as the “Montford Point Marines”. Branch received his officer training in the Navy V-12 program at Purdue University. He made the dean’s list and was the only African American out of 250 students. After he left the military, Branch used his physics degree to teach at Dobbins Highschool until he retired.