Description Celebrating Richard Potter: America's First Black Celebrity The celebrated magician, ventriloquist, and showman Richard Potter (1783-1835), made his home in Andover NH from 1814 until his death in 1835. He became a celebrity from Quebec to New Orleans and was described as “the most famous ventriloquist and sleight-of-hand performer of his day.” An evening celebration of Richard Potter’s work was held at Proctor Academy. The program featured: · Welcome by Brian Thomas, head of school, Proctor Academy · Opening and Remarks by JerriAnne Boggis, executive director, The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire · Performance by Dan Richard, the Ventriloquist and author of “Ventriloquism for the Total Dummy” · “Richard Potter’s Contributions to American Theater” – a presentation by John Hodgson, author of “Richard Potter: America's First Black Celebrity”