Not only was James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) an influential and prominent author, poet, and composer, but he was also a lawyer, a United States consul in a foreign country, and he played an essential part in battling racism through his membership in the NAACP. Johnson, James Weldon, was born in Jacksonville, Florida. His father was a doctor who had been trained at Harvard University and his mother was a former slave from North Carolina. When Johnson was just three years old, his family moved to New York City, where his father continued his medical practice. He attended public schools in New York City and then went on to Columbia University, where he graduated with honors in 1895. After graduating from Columbia, Johnson traveled to Europe, where he studied music for two years. Upon returning home, he entered New York Law School, from which he received his law degree in 1899. That same year, Johnson was admitted to the bar and began practicing law in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1905, Johnson was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt as a United States consul to Haiti. While there, he helped secure freedom for several thousand slaves and advocated for women's rights and educational opportunities for blacks. In 1909, President William Howard Taft made Johnson a member of the American Commission to Visit Africa. The purpose of this commission was to explore ways to improve relations between the United States and various countries in Africa.