Daniel Payne was a prominent 19th-century American religious leader, educator, and author who played a vital role in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1811, he became the sixth bishop of the AME Church, serving for over forty years. He was a pioneer in higher education, becoming the first African American to lead a college in the United States when he served as president of Wilberforce University. Throughout his career, he focused on increasing ministerial training and expanding the church's reach across the American South.