Horace J. Bryant, Jr. (June 29, 1909 – April 13, 1983) was an African American civil rights activist, banking commissioner, and politician from New Jersey.
As Commissioner of Banking and Insurance under Governor Richard J. Hughes, he was the first African American to serve in a State Cabinet position in the New Jersey government.
[1] His father also served as the New Jersey General Assembly's first African American calendar clerk, responsible for billing and scheduling.
In 1969, he was appointed commissioner by Governor Richard J. Hughes, becoming the first African American to hold a cabinet-level position in New Jersey.
[7] A bronze bust of Bryant, celebrating his achievements as a civil rights pioneer, sits in the Carnegie Library Center in Stockton University.