September 20, 1835 - Richard Potter, the first successful Black magician in the United States, died. Potter was born July 19, 1783 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the son of an English baronet and an African American ...serving woman. As a result, he was educated in Europe and traveled widely before becoming an entertainer. Potter was known for his skills in ventriloquism, hypnosis, and magic and performed throughout New England and Canada. He became a wealthy man and in 1813 bought a 175 acre farm in Andover, New Hampshire in a village now known as Potter Place.