Dr. Robert Henry Lawrence, first black astronaut 1967

Dr. Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr. was the first black astronaut, June 30, 1967 when he was selected by the US Air Force in their Manned Orbital Laboratory program.  This makes him the first black astronaut although he never made it to space.  Later that same year, Dr. Lawrence was killed when the F-104 Starfighter, whose pilot he was instructing crashed at Edwards AFB in California, December 8.

He had a PhD in Physical Chemistry, too!