Robert Purvis, was a prominent Abolitionist during the 19th century. His father William Purvis was a "naturalised" American from England. Robert's mother, Harriet Judah was born from an affair between a wealthy German Jewish immigrant and Arab or "Moor" freed slave woman. Legally, Robert Purvis was three quarters European, despite the favorable ethnic make up Robert and his brothers chose to identify themselves as black men.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Robert received his post-secondary education at Amherst College. The untimely death of Roberts father and eldest brother, left Robert and his brother Joseph with the family inheritance. Robert Purvis would spend the rest of his life fighting against the injustices of slavery. Alongside William Lloyd Garrison, Robert was a founding member of the American-Anti-Slavery Society. Robert also served as the President of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, and then as a chairman of the Vigilance committee's of Philadelphia and later the "national" Vigilance Committee. The purpose of the Vigilant Committee's were to allocate the necessary resources to assist runaway slaves.

Robert used his house and full financial resources to assist the Underground Railroad. His obituary in the New York Times (4/16/1898) read "He was the President of the 'Underground Railroad' and throughout that long period of peril his house was a well-known station where his horses and carriages and his personal attendance were ever at the service of the travelers upon that road." Purvis was an early supporter of the Womans Suffrage movement, he served as the first Vice-President of the Womans Suffrage Society.