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| image = [[File:Coffin, Levi PortraitOHS_AL03028.jpg]]| caption = Photographic reproduction of a copper engraved portrait of Levi Coffin (1798-1877), a Quaker and a sympathizer with fugitive slaves. The original portrait was possibly created circa 1850 to1877. With his wife Catharine, he aided over two thousand fugitive slaves at Fountain City, Wayne County, Indiana, from 1826 to 1846. The image was collected by Ohio State University professor Wilbur H. Siebert (1866-1961). Siebert began researching the Underground Railroad in the 1890s as a way to interest his students in history.

<p>Levi Coffin was an important figure in the Underground Railroad network that helped thousands of runaway fugitive slaves escape to freedom in the years before the American Civil War.</p> <p>Coffin was born on October 28, 1798, in North Carolina. He was a member of the Society of Friends. Due to his religious beliefs, he became a strong opponent of African-American slavery. By the time he turned fifteen, Coffin already had begun to assist runaway fugitive slaves. In 1826, he moved to Indiana and established a pork-processing business.</p> <p>In 1847, Coffin moved to Cincinnati. With the aid of abolitionists in Indiana, he opened a business that sold only goods produced by free laborers. He also became an active participant in the Underground Railroad. He purportedly helped more than three thousand slaves escape from their masters and gain their freedom in Canada. Most northern states had either outlawed slavery or implemented laws to gradually end the institution. However, the United States Constitution and the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 permitted Southern slave owners to go to free states, like Ohio and reclaim their runaway propertyfugitive slaves. </p>

<p>Levi Coffin helped African Americans in other ways as well. In 1854, he helped found an African-American orphanage in Cincinnati. He also pressured the federal government during the Civil War to establish the Freedmen's Bureau. In addition, Coffin helped African Americans establish their own businesses and obtain educational opportunities. He died on September 16, 1877, in Cincinnati. Several years after his death, African Americans in Cincinnati erected a monument over Coffin's grave to honor his contributions.</p>

*[[Runaway SlavesFugitives from Slavery]]