Wesley A . Brown Wesley Anthony Brown ( April 3 , 1927 – May 22 , 2012 ) was the first African American graduate of the U . S . Naval Academy ( USNA ) , in Annapolis , Maryland . He served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War and served in the U . S . Navy from May 2 , 1944 , until June 30 , 1969 . Early life . Wesley Brown was born April 3 , 1927 , in Baltimore , Maryland . He graduated from Dunbar High School in Baltimore , MD , where he was Cadet Corps Battalion Commander during his senior year . He became the first in his family to attend college , at Howard University . Naval career . A retired naval officer , Lt . Cmdr . Brown was the sixth African American to attend , and the first to graduate from the U . S . Naval Academy . He was nominated for admission and later appointed to USNA , by New York Congressman Adam Clayton Powell , Jr . Brown entered the academy on June 30 , 1945 and graduated on June 3 , 1949 . He was an accomplished athlete , running cross - country with Jimmy Carter , the 39th president , who was also a Naval Academy graduate . The experiences of the first five African Americans admitted to the academy and the challenges Brown and the others faced are documented in the book " Breaking the Color Barrier : The US Naval Academy ’ s First Black Midshipmen and the Struggle for Racial Equality " , written by Navy historian Robert J . Schneller Jr . Post - Naval career . Brown retired at the rank of Lieutenant Commander in June 1969 after serving 20 years in the Navy ' s Civil Engineer Corps . There Brown was responsible for building military service member homes in Hawaii , roads in Liberia , wharves in the Philippines , a nuclear power plant in Antarctica , and a desalination plant in Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . When he retired , Brown consulted on construction projects and joined the faculty at Howard University as a physical facilities analyst . He served as chairman of DC ' s Congressional Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton ’ s Service Academy Selection Board . He retired from the University . Personal life . Brown and his wife Crystal had four children and seven grandchildren . Their daughter Carol Jackson chairs the California Division of the American Cancer Society and heads the External Affairs and Diversity Management departments at Macy ' s West . Brown was a volunteer motivational speaker and spoke with Washington , DC high school students and midshipmen of the USNA Black Studies Club during Black History Month . Death . Brown died aged 85 on May 22 , 2012 in Silver Spring , Maryland . Awards and honors . Brown served in the Republic of the Philippines , Korea , Vietnam and Guantanamo Bay , and Cuba . Brown received the American Theater Ribbon and World War II Victory Medal . he was recognized with the 2009 National Society of Black Engineers Golden Torch Legacy Award - First Honoree . The Wesley Brown Field House at the U . S . Naval Academy is named in his honor . Brown wielded a shovel in the groundbreaking on March 25 , 2006 . The building was completed in March 2008 and dedicated on May 10 , 2008 . Brown also participated in the ribbon - cutting ceremony with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm . Mike Mullen , Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm . Jeffrey L . Fowler , and Maryland Governor Martin O ’ Malley . Brown was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity .