Editing Octavius Catto (section)

== Early Life ==

Octavius Catto was born free on February 22, 1839, in Charleston, South Carolina, where his father, William T. Catto, was a minister. The family moved to Philadelphia when Octavius was still young, joining the city's substantial Free Black Community. William Catto became a minister at First African Presbyterian Church, a position that placed the family at the center of Black social and intellectual life. Young Octavius received an exceptional education, attending the Institute for Colored Youth, the premier Black educational institution in America, founded by Quaker philanthropists in 1837. He proved an outstanding student, excelling in classical languages, literature, and oratory.<ref name="silcox">{{cite book |last=Silcox |first=Harry C. |title=Philadelphia Politics from the Bottom Up: The Life of Irishman William McMullen, 1824-1901 |year=1989 |publisher=Balch Institute Press |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>

After completing his studies at the Institute for Colored Youth, Catto traveled north for additional education, attending schools in New Jersey and later the Allentown, Pennsylvania school associated with the Colored American newspaper. He returned to Philadelphia and in 1854 began teaching at the Institute for Colored Youth, eventually becoming principal of its male department. His intellectual abilities, speaking skills, and commanding presence made him a natural leader among young Black Philadelphians. He also became an accomplished baseball player, helping to organize the Pythian Baseball Club, one of the first African American baseball teams, and worked unsuccessfully to integrate organized baseball—a goal that would not be achieved until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier 80 years later.<ref name="biddle"/>