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African American officeholders from the end of the Civil War until before 1900

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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More than 1,500 African-American officeholders served during the Reconstruction era (1865–1877) and in the years after Reconstruction before white supremacy, disenfranchisement, and the Democratic Party fully reasserted control in Southern states.[1] Historian Canter Brown Jr. noted that in some states, such as Florida, the highest number of African Americans were elected or appointed to offices after the end of Reconstruction in 1877. The following is a partial list of African-American officeholders from the end of the Civil War until 1899. Dates listed are the year that a term states or the range of years served if multiple terms.

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U.S. Senate

Main article: List of African-American United States senators

U.S. House of Representatives

Main articles: First generation of African-American House members, 1870–1893 and List of African-American United States representatives
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Alabama

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Between 1868 and 1878, more than 100 African Americans served in the Alabama Legislature.[4]

Alabama Senate

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Alabama legislators at the capitol in 1872

Alabama House of Representatives

Alabama Constitutional Convention

Other state offices

Federal offices

  • Granville Bennett – postmaster of Catherine September 1, 1890 – January 15, 1891[11]
  • John P. Billingsley – postmaster of Marion March 25, 1874 – July 18, 1882[11]
  • Charles W. Childs – postmaster of Marion February 12, 1890 – October 28, 1893[11]
  • James F. Childs – postmaster of Marion July 18, 1882 – December 5, 1885[11]
  • Anthony R. Davison – postmaster of Lovan August 1, 1889 – October 28, 1891; March 28, 1890 – April 17, 1893[11]
  • John W. Davison – postmaster of Lovan March 25, 1890 – October 28, 1891[11]
  • Howell L. Goins – postmaster of Northport November 25, 1889 – March 17, 1890[11]
  • Rufus L. Gomez – postmaster of Luverne March 28, 1889 – October 5, 1889[11]
  • Jordan Hatcher – postmaster of Cahaba September 7, 1869 – September 26, 1882[11]
  • John W. Jones – postmaster of Hayneville June 6, 1882 – October 17, 1887[11]

Local offices

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Arkansas

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Perspective

Between 1868 and 1893, 85 men noted as "colored" or "mulatto" were elected to the Arkansas legislature.[14][15] Initially, they served under the 1868 Arkansas Constitution that granted them the right to vote and hold office. The Democrats retook control of state government and instituted the 1874 Constitution. As a result, after 1893, the next African American to serve as an Arkansas state legislator was in 1973.[16]

Arkansas Senate

Arkansas House of Representatives

Arkansas Constitutional Convention

Other state offices

  • Joseph Carter Corbin – Arkansas Superintendent of public schools 1873–1875
  • William Henry Grey – Arkansas Commissioner of Immigration and State Lands (also Arkansas House, Arkansas Senate, and Arkansas Constitutional Convention)
  • James T. White – Arkansas Commissioner of Public Works (also Arkansas House, Arkansas Senate, and Arkansas Constitutional Convention)

Federal offices

  • Elisha Davis – postmaster of Sweet Home November 8, 1881 – May 24, 1893[11]
  • Edward Allen Fulton – postmaster of Monticello March 1, 1871 – March 29, 1874; May 29, 1871 – December 17, 1875 (also Arkansas House)[11]
  • Mifflin Wistar Gibbs – American consul to Madagascar 1897 (also judge)
  • William H. Lacy – postmaster of Harwood Island February 16, 1885 – August 2, 1893[11]
  • James W. Mason – postmaster of Sunny Side February 2, 1867 – April 11, 1871 (also Arkansas Senate, probate judge, and sheriff)[11]
  • James A. Roper – postmaster of Surrounded Hill May 9, 1889 – June 22, 1893[11]
  • William A. Sloan – postmaster of Ripley July 16, 1891 – April 14, 1894[11]

Local offices

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California

Local offices

Colorado

Colorado House of Representatives

Other state offices

Florida

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Florida Senate

Florida House of Representatives

Constitutional conventions

During the Florida Constitutional Convention of 1868, 18 of 46 elected delegates were Black. At the 1885 Constitutional Convention seven of the 63 delegates were Black.[28]

Florida Constitutional Convention of 1868

Florida Constitutional Convention of 1885

Other state offices

Federal offices

Local offices

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Georgia

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See also: Original 33

In Georgia, 69 African Americans served in the state legislature or as delegates to the state's constitutional convention between 1867 and 1872.[32]

Georgia State Senate

Georgia House of Representatives

Georgia Constitutional Convention

Federal offices

  • J. Curt Beall – postmaster of La Grange September 6, 1882 – August 6, 1885[11]
  • Edwin Belcher – postmaster of Macon March 22, 1873 – March 23, 1875 (also Georgia House)[11]
  • Aaron Alpeoria Bradley – postmaster of in Macon (also Georgia Constitutional Convention and Georgia Senate)[32]
  • John H. Clopton – postmaster of Hogansville March 1, 1890 –April 8, 1893[11]
  • Madison Davis – postmaster of Athens February 13, 1882 – June 2, 1890; February 15, 1886 – May 27, 1893 (Georgia House)[11]
  • Jacob D. Enos or Enis – postmaster of Valdosta May 4, 1869 – June 8, 1871[11]
  • Charles R. Jackson – postmaster of Darien October 15, 1890 – September 14, 1897; June 19, 1893 – May 18, 1909[11]
  • Isaiah H. Loftin – postmaster of Hogansville May 17, 1897 – March 2, 1900[11]
  • Monroe B. Morton – postmaster of Athens July 27, 1897 – February 6, 1902[11]
  • Luther J. Price – postmaster of South Atlanta June 18, 1889 – June 21, 1893[11]
  • Ellic L. Simon – postmaster of South Atlanta July 2, 1897 – October 31, 1904[11]
  • Henry McNeal Turner – postmaster of Macon May 18, 1869 – August 10, 1869 (also Georgia House and Georgia Constitutional Convention)[11][d]

Local offices

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Idaho

Federal offices

  • John B. Mitchell – postmaster of Delta October 10, 1890 – November 16, 1894[11]

Illinois

Illinois House of Representatives

Indiana

Indiana did not have African American legislators until after the Reconstruction era.[42]

Indiana House of Representatives

Federal offices

  • James Cantrell – postmaster of Lyles September 12, 1898 – February 12, 1920[11]

Kansas

Kansas did not have African American legislators until after the Reconstruction era.[42]

Kansas House of Representatives

Other state offices

  • Edward P. McCabe – Kansas State Auditor (also county clerk, U.S. Treasury Department clerk, and country treasurer in Oklahoma)

Federal offices

  • Frances Jennie Fletcher – postmaster of Nicodemus December 9, 1889 – January 5, 1894[11]
  • Zachary T. Fletcher – postmaster of Nicodemus September 12, 1877 – September 2, 1886[11]
  • Edward P. McCabe – clerk in the Cook County office of the U.S. Treasury Department (also country clerk Kansas State Auditor, and county treasurer in Oklahoma)
  • George M. Sayers – postmaster of Nicodemus April 27, 1896 – December 20, 1916[11]

Local offices

  • Edward P. McCabe – county clerk for Graham County (also Kansas State Auditor, U.S. Treasury Department clerk, and county treasurer in Oklahoma)

Kentucky

Federal offices

  • John D. Starks – postmaster of Brandenburg November 11, 1899 – September 16, 1890[11]

Louisiana

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Through 1900, 24 African Americans served in the Louisiana Senate during Reconstruction; more than 100 served in the Louisiana House of Representatives.[43] In addition, six African American men held statewide offices in Louisiana, including the nation's first African American acting governors.

Louisiana Governor

  • Oscar James Dunn – acting governor May–July 1871[44][e]
  • P. B. S. Pinchback – acting governor December 1872–January 1873 (also U.S. Senate, Louisiana Lt. Governor, Louisiana Constitutional Convention, and Louisiana Senate)

Louisiana lieutenant governor

  • Caesar Antoine – 1873–1877 (also Louisiana Senate and Louisiana Constitutional Convention)
  • Oscar James Dunn – 1868–1871, (also Louisiana Constitutional Convention)
  • P. B. S. Pinchback – 1872 (also U.S. Senate, acting Louisiana Governor, Louisiana Constitutional Convention, and Louisiana Senate)

Louisiana State Senate

Louisiana House of Representatives

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African American delegates to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention 1868

Louisiana Constitutional Convention

Other state offices

  • William C. Brown – Louisiana Superintendent of Education 1872–1876[45]
  • Pierre G. Deslonde – Secretary of State 1872–1876 (also Louisiana Constitutional Convention)
  • Antoine Dubuclet – state treasurer 1876–1877

Federal offices

  • Henry Bloch – postmaster of Opelousas March 26, 1891 – September 7, 1891[11]
  • Samuel E. Cuny or Cuney – postmaster of Colfax March 15, 1872 – April 1873[11]
  • Abraham Davis – postmaster of Franklin June 3, 1872 – March 21, 1881; January 17, 1880 – April 11, 1887[11]
  • Timothy Davis – postmaster of Pattersonville (became Patterson in 1887) May 3, 1882 – December 30, 1892[11]
  • Anna M. Dumas – postmaster of Covington November 15, 1872 – June 18, 1885[11]
  • Pierre Caliste Landry – postmaster of Donaldsonville March 3, 1871 – May 25, 1875 (also Louisiana House, Louisiana Senate, mayor) [11]
  • Charles Leroy – postmaster of Natchitoches April 29, 1869 – September 18, 1872[11]
  • Friday N. Porter Jr. – postmaster of Pearl River (became Pearlville in 1888) October 6, 1875 – May 6, 1893[11]
  • Charles W. Ringgold – postmaster of New Orleans March 1, 1873 – April 6, 1875[11]
  • James H. Stephens – postmaster of Saint Francisville April 1, 1872 – December 8, 1879[11]
  • John A. Washington – postmaster of Vidalia October 20, 1873 – May 15, 1876[11]

Local offices

Maryland

Federal offices

  • Nathan Johnson – postmaster of Sugarland February 6, 1896 – May 15, 1905[11]
  • Warren R. Wade – postmaster of Malcolm February 3, 1890 – September 24, 1901[11]

Local offices

Massachusetts

Massachusetts House of Representatives

Local offices

Michigan

Michigan House of Representatives

Other state offices

Minnesota

Minnesota did not have any African American legislators until after the Reconstruction era.[42]

Minnesota House of Representatives

Mississippi

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The Mississippi Plan was part of an organized campaign of terror and violence used by the Democratic Party and Ku Klux Klan to disenfranchise African Americans in Mississippi, block them from holding office, end Reconstruction, and restore white supremacy in the state. Nevertheless, many African Americans served in its legislature, and Mississippi was the only state that elected African-American candidates to the U.S. Senate during the Reconstruction era: A total of 37 African Americans served in the state Senate and 117 served in the state House.[59][60]

Mississippi Lieutenant Governor

Mississippi Secretary of State

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Photo composite of Mississippi state legislators in 1874 by E. von Seutter

Mississippi State Senate

Mississippi House of Representatives

Mississippi Constitutional Convention

Other state offices

Federal offices

  • Daniel W. Ambrose – postmaster of Pickens January 19, 1898 – May 11, 1898[11]
  • Henry Blackman – postmaster of Brookhaven May 13, 1873 – November 13, 1876[11]
  • Benjamin G. Boothe – postmaster of Water Valley July 5, 1884 – December 5, 1885[11]
  • Franklin P. Brinson – postmaster of Duncansby September 20, 1897 – May 25, 1905[11]
  • Jenkins Cook – postmaster of Dry Grove February 1, 1898 – April 16, 1902[11]
  • Minnie M. Cox – postmaster of Indianola January 16, 1891 – May 22, 1897; April 17, 1893 – February 2, 1904[11]
  • Robert W. Fitzhugh – postmaster of Natchez January 19, 1876 – October 10, 1883[11]
  • Joseph Graves – postmaster of Pearlington March 7, 1883 – April 16, 1889; August 20, 1885 – May 9, 1894[11]
  • Edward Hill – postmaster of Raymond June 6, 1870 – May 26, 1874[11]
  • James Hill – postmaster of Vicksburg April 2, 1891 – April 15, 1893[11]
  • A. D. Jones – postmaster of Corinth February 25, 1871 – March 6, 1874[11]
  • Thomas I. Keys – postmaster of Ocean Springs August 4, 1897 – March 3, 1911[11]
  • Elias W. Matthews – postmaster of Batesville April 25, 1882 – March 7, 1883[11]
  • William McCary – postmaster of Natchez October 10, 1883 – August 6, 1885[11]
  • Benjamin F. Mitchell – postmaster of Greenwood July 23, 1873 – October 27, 1875[11]
  • Isaiah T. Montgomery – postmaster of Mound Bayou June 12, 1888 – March 14, 1894[11]
  • Joshua P. T. Montgomery – postmaster of Mound Bayou March 14, 1894 – May 2, 1895[11]
  • Mary V. Montgomery – postmaster of Mound Bayou May 2, 1895 – September 27, 1902[11]
  • William Thornton Montgomery – postmaster of Hurricane May 6, 1867 – September 14, 1880[11]
  • Ellis E. Perkins – postmaster of Edwards May 12, 1898 – February 15, 1910[11]
  • Louis J. Piernas – postmaster of Bay St. Louis April 18, 1889 – May 27, 1898; May 5, 1894 – March 3, 1911[11]
  • Thomas Richardson – postmaster of Port Gibson September 28, 1870 – October 6, 1876; February 27, 1890 – February 26, 1875; May 11, 1885 – March 14, 1894[11]
  • Robert Steward – postmaster of Macon March 11, 1875 – May 16, 1881[11]
  • Henry K. Thomas – postmaster of Bovina June 1, 1877 –December 5, 1882[11]
  • Robert H. Wood – postmaster of Natchez March 17, 1873 – April 16, 1876 (also mayor)[11]

Local offices

Missouri

Federal positions

Nebraska

Nebraska House of Representatives

New York

Local offices

North Carolina

North Carolina Senate

North Carolina House of Representatives

North Carolina Constitutional Convention

Federal offices

  • Albert L. Alston – postmaster of Macon December 11, 1891 – April 29, 1893[11]
  • Collin P. Anthony – postmaster of Scotland Neck September 17, 1897 – July 11, 1898[11]
  • Weeks S. Armstrong – postmaster of Rocky Mount April 18, 1889 – March 31, 1890[11]
  • Daniel W. Baker – postmaster of Lewiston June 10, 1897 – April 1, 1899[11]
  • Mary A. Baker – postmaster of Dudley November 11 26, 1897 – August 22, 1911[11]
  • William Baker – postmaster of South Gaston October 24, 1889 – October 7, 1897; October 13, 1893 – March 31, 1904[11]
  • William B. Baker – postmaster of Dudley August 27, 1883 – September 3, 1884[11]
  • Clinton W. Battle – postmaster of Battleboro November 11, 1897 – November 22, 1899[11]
  • William E. Bennett – postmaster of Powellsville January 13, 1898 – February 23, 1901[11]
  • Lewis T. Bond – postmaster of Windsor May 3, 1897 – July 12, 1901[11]
  • Albert C. Booth – postmaster of Harrellsville November 15, 1897 – September 26, 1900[11]
  • Moses J. Bullock – postmaster of Townsville February 19, 1874 – February 8, 1886[11]
  • Thomas H. Burwell – postmaster of Kittrell October 24, 1889 – September 4, 1893[11]
  • Joseph B. Catus – postmaster of Winton September 24, 1897 – June 6, 1913[11]
  • Edward Cheek – postmaster of Halifax April 9, 1897 – March 7, 1901[11]
  • James D. Cherry – postmaster of Drew July 7, 1897 – May 20, 1901[11]
  • Edward D. Clark – postmaster of Kelford December 20, 1897 – June 19, 1901[11]
  • William C. Coats – postmaster of Seaboard November 9, 1889 – November 3, 1893[11]
  • Mrs. Willie F. Coats – postmaster of Seaboard October 26, 1897 – October 26, 1901[11]
  • Hezekiah Cook – postmaster of Oberlin April 11, 1892 – May 8, 1894[11]
  • Charner H. Davis – postmaster of Townesville (became Townsville 1892) July 20, 1889 – December 10, 1897; September 9, 1893 – January 15, 1909[11]
  • Cora E. Davis – postmaster of Halifax April 5, 1889 – December 8, 1890[11]
  • Frank Davis – postmaster of Southport February 1, 1892 – May 16, 1893[11]
  • Ada Dickens – postmaster of Lawrence August 9, 1897 – November 22, 1899[11]
  • Henry H. Falkener – postmaster of Macon May 21, 1890 – December 11, 1891[11]
  • Alonzo Green – postmaster of Gatesville May 2, 1870 – April 2, 1878[11]
  • Mary Guion – postmaster of Tarheel June 5, 1897 – July 29, 1898[11]
  • John H. Hannon – postmaster of Halifax December 8, 1890 – April 10, 1893[11]
  • Israel D. Hargett – postmaster of Rocky Mount July 27, 1897 – February 15, 1899[11]
  • Cicero B. Harris – postmaster of Panacea Springs (became Panacea in 1894) July 12, 1889 – December 14, 1897; October 23, 1893 – October 2, 1902[11]
  • Edmond D. Hart – postmaster of Princeville March 17, 1898 – May 25, 1909[11]
  • Benjamin H. Henderson – postmaster of Fayetteville January 21, 1892 – March 3, 1896[11]
  • Hilliard J. Hewlin – postmaster of Brinkleyville October 5, 1897 – October 5, 1901[11]
  • John H. Howard – postmaster of Weldon January 18, 1898 – June 27, 1902[11]
  • Robert S. Jervay – postmaster of Elbow May 12, 1898 – April 15, 1910[11]
  • William H. Jones – postmaster of Morehead City February 25, 1890 – June 16, 1893[11]
  • Norman L. Keen – postmaster of Essex April 29, 1891 – August 4, 1897; August 16, 1893 – August 6, 1901[11]
  • Brosier W. Langford – postmaster of Potecasi July 21, 1897 – January 17, 1898[11]
  • George W. Lane – postmaster of Edenton August 1, 1881 – February 24, 1885[11]
  • Charles H. Lewter – postmaster of Lewiston April 1, 1899 – November 18, 1901[11]
  • Henry D. Mayo – postmaster of Littleton May 26, 1897 – April 13, 1901[11]
  • Martha E. Middleton – postmaster of Kenansville August 25, 1892 – May 8, 1893[11]
  • Elenora J. Newsome – postmaster of Margarettsville July 2, 1897 – December 21, 1900[11]
  • Berry O'Kelly – postmaster of Method October 9, 1890 – April 1, 1931[11]
  • William H. Outlaw – postmaster of Windsor April 30, 1891 – April 1, 1893[11]
  • W. Lee Person – postmaster of Rocky Mount April 11, 1890 – June 13, 1893[11]
  • James M. Pittman – postmaster of Tillery January 23, 1890 – April 9, 1897; July 11, 1893 – October 28, 1898[11]
  • George W. Reynolds – postmaster of Murfreesboro October 31, 1889 – April 13, 1892[11]
  • Edward A. Richardson – postmaster of New Bern July 18, 1884 – June 11, 1885[11]
  • Augustus Robbins – postmaster of Windsor June 14, 1889 – April 30, 1891[11]
  • Parker David Robbins – postmaster of Harrellsville September 22, 1875 – October 8, 1877 (also North Carolina Constitutional Convention and North Carolina House)[11]
  • Emma S. Roberts – postmaster of Jackson August 6, 1897 – August 7, 1901[11]
  • Winfrey H. Roberts – postmaster of Rich Square September 11, 1889 – November 9, 1897; September 19, 1893 – November 9, 1901[11]
  • Freeman J. Ryan – postmaster of Quitsna June 24, 1897 – December 15, 1900[11]
  • Thomas Shields – postmaster of Scotland Neck July 11, 1898 – May 14, 1901[11]
  • Allen A. Smith – postmaster of Mount Olive May 27, 1897 – July 20, 1901[11]
  • Henry L. Solomon – postmaster of Ita May 11, 1899 – July 25, 1901[11]
  • Washington Spivey – postmaster of James City January 11, 1888 – May 1, 1908[11]
  • John H. Thorpe – postmaster of Kittrell January 14, 1898 – March 28, 1902[11]
  • Samuel H. Vick – postmaster of Wilson September 28, 1889 – May 24, 1898; February 16, 1894 – March 24, 1903[11]
  • Henry L. Watson – postmaster of Macon November 10, 1897 – November 9, 1901[11]
  • York Whitehead – postmaster of Aurelian Springs January 19, 1898 – January 20, 1902[11]
  • Henry W. Williams – postmaster of Tillery April 8, 1889 – January 23, 1890[11]
  • Washington Winn – postmaster of Mount Olive May 31, 1881 – August 6, 1885[11]
  • James S. Wortham – postmaster of Ridgeway April 14, 1897 – July 2, 1901[11]
  • Winfield F. Young – postmaster of Littleton July 15, 1875 – July 26, 1889; August 3, 1885 – 23, 1893[11]

Ohio

Ohio Senate

Ohio House of Representatives

Federal offices

  • George W. Harding – postmaster of Wilberforce August 21, 1893 – July 24, 1897[11]

Local offices

Oklahoma

Federal offices

  • William Anderson – postmaster of Udora October 7, 1897 – September 30, 1911[11][g]
  • John G. Crump – postmaster of Zion July 20, 1891 – June 22, 1895[11]
  • Samuel G. Garrett – postmaster of Langston June 25, 1891 – February 17, 1894[11]
  • William C. Garrett – postmaster of Ridge, Indian Territory December 29, 1884 – March 12, 1886; postmaster of Wellington, Indian Territory July 24, 1890 – November 9, 1891[11][g]
  • Maston Harris – postmaster of Udora November 18, 1895 – October 7, 1897[11][g]
  • Jerry I. Hazelwood – postmaster of Langston April 14, 1898 – September 12, 1914[11]
  • David A. Lee – postmaster of Wellington, Indian Territory (became Lee, Indian Territory in 1892) November 9, 1891 – February 15, 1895[11][g]
  • William Martin – postmaster of Wanamaker January 18, 1898 – April 15, 1903[11]
  • Abner L. J. Meriwether – postmaster of Lee, Indian Territory August 8, 1898 – November 12, 1902[11][g]
  • Clara M. Overton – postmaster of Wanamaker March 3, 1890 – December 28, 1894[11]
  • James A. Roper – postmaster of Okmulgee February 3, 1898 – March 10, 1902[11]
  • Charles W. Stevenson – postmaster of Wanamaker December 28, 1894 – April 15, 1903; January 18, 1898 – July 8, 1908[11]
  • Lee B. Tatum – postmaster of Tatums May 9, 1896 – September 5, 1911[11]
  • Thomas H. Traylor – postmaster of Douglas May 12, 1894 – May 23, 1895[11]
  • Stanley Ward – postmaster of Udora February 20, 1895 – November 18, 1895[11][g]
  • Lewis E. Willis – postmaster of Tullahassee January 26, 1899 – October 25, 1905[11]
  • John J. Young – postmaster of Lincoln December 14, 1889 – September 22, 1894[11]

Local offices

  • Edward P. McCabe – treasurer of Logan County (also Kansas State Auditor, U.S. Treasury Department clerk in Kansas, and county clerk in Kansas)

Pennsylvania

Federal offices

  • James H. Lyons – postmaster of Salemville July 7, 1882 – July 26, 1893[11]
  • Nathan T. Velar – postmaster of Brinton April 29, 1897 – November 26, 1907[11]

Local offices

Rhode Island

Rhode Island General Assembly

South Carolina

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Perspective

During Reconstruction, South Carolina was the only state whose legislature was majority African American.[90] Eric Foner says 29 African Americans served in the South Carolina Senate, and 210 African Americans served in the South Carolina House of Representatives.[90] In addition, 72 African Americans participated in the 1868 South Carolina Constitutional Convention. Many others served in various state or local offices ranging from Lt. Governor to justice of the peace.[90]

South Carolina Lt. Governor

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A composite of 63 "Radical Republicans" in the South Carolina Legislature in 1868 including fifty "negroes or mulattoes"

South Carolina Senate

South Carolina House of Representatives

South Carolina Constitutional Convention

Other state offices

Federal offices

  • Robert B. Anderson – postmaster of Georgetown March 16, 1898 – February 28, 1902 (also South Carolina House[11]
  • Frazier B. Baker – postmaster of Effingham March 15, 1892 – September 2, 1893; Lake City July 30, 1897 – February 22, 1898[11][l]
  • Samuel Bampfield – postmaster of Beaufort October 5, 1897 – February 2, 1900 (also South Carolina House)[11]
  • Robert R. Bethea – postmaster of Latta July 31, 1890 – August 16, 1894[11]
  • Benjamin A. Boseman – postmaster of Charleston March 18, 1873 – February 23, 1881 (also South Carolina Constitutional Convention and South Carolina House)[11][91]
  • William E. Boykin – postmaster of Mayesville April 12, 1882 – September 10, 1885[11]
  • Israel W. Brown – postmaster of Hardeeville July 20, 1883 – April 4, 1885[11]
  • Marion F. Campbell – postmaster of Beaufort February 28, 1891 – April 8, 1893[11]
  • Richard J. Cochran – postmaster of Bucksville October 6, 1890 – January 16, 1895[11]
  • Joseph S. Collins – postmaster of Eastover February 18, 1898 – October 15, 1900[11]
  • Harriet "Hattie" R. Commander – postmaster of Chesterfield June 11, 1889 – December 11, 1893[11]
  • John Z. Crook – postmaster of St George May 14, 1883 – January 23, 1890; April 29, 1885 – January 20, 1894[11]
  • Eliza H. Davis – postmaster of Summerville July 23, 1873 – September 10, 1884[11]
  • James A. Davison – postmaster of Blackville March 20, 1890 – October 2, 1897; September 19, 1893 –April 5, 1906[11]
  • Adam C. Dayson – postmaster of Stono June 6, 1892 – February 28, 1895[11]
  • Wesley S. Dixon – postmaster of Barnwell February 23, 1882 – January 11, 1884[11]
  • A. H. Durant – postmaster of Marion August 25, 1884 – May 18, 1885[11]
  • Julius Durant – postmaster of Paxville July 21, 1897 – November 11, 1908[11]
  • Philip E. Ezekiel – postmaster of Beaufort July 17, 1871 – February 26, 1887[11]
  • Lawrence Faulkner – postmaster of Society Hill October 17, 1877 – May 17, 1889[11]
  • Irving T. Fleming – postmaster of Magnolia (became Lynchburg in 1905) January 26, 1898 – January 12, 1911[11]
  • Theodore B. Gordon – postmaster of Conway August 12, 1891 – June 12, 1894[11]
  • John D. Graham – postmaster of Sheldon October 15, 1890 – December 20, 1899; April 19, 1898 – December 31, 1905[11]
  • Charles Samuel Green – postmaster of Plantersville October 26, 1883 – May 12, 1885 (also South Carolina House)[11]
  • Moses W. Harrall – postmaster of Timmonsville March 3, 1884 – July 24, 1889; January 16, 1885 – January 30, 1894[11]
  • Charles D. Hayne – postmaster of Aiken March 23, 1869 – January 23, 1871 (South Carolina Constitutional Convention, South Carolina Secretary of State, South Carolina House, and South Carolina Senate)[11]
  • James H. Holloway – postmaster of Marion Court House September 9, 1870 – August 25, 1884[11]
  • Louisa C. Jones – postmaster of Ridgeland September 30, 1897 – January 7, 1910[11]
  • Robert M. Keene – postmaster of Statesburg August 16, 1889 – October 9, 1893[11]
  • Moses J. Langley – postmaster of Chopee March 15, 1890 – May 2, 1894[11]
  • John Lee – postmaster of Chester April 27, 1875 – November 27, 1876 (also South Carolina Senate)[11][91]
  • Edward D. Littlejohn – postmaster of Gaffney May 7, 1892 – November 4, 1893[11]
  • Major D. Macfarlan – postmaster of Cheraw July 9, 1892 – November 13, 1897; December 9, 1893 – April 23, 1900[11]
  • John W. Manigault – postmaster of Providence December 21, 1889 – September 4, 1890[11]
  • John C. Mardenborough – postmaster of Port Royal December 31, 1879 – February 1, 1898; August 18, 1885 – February 23, 1905[11]
  • Henry J. Maxwell – postmaster of Bennettsville March 16, 1869 – November 16, 1870 (also South Carolina Senate)[11]
  • John J. Mays – postmaster of Branchville February 25, 1883 – February 29, 1885[11]
  • Benjamin W. Middleton – postmaster of Midway March 24, 1870 – December 16, 1872[11]
  • Mary S. Middleton – postmaster of Midway December 16, 1872 – August 30, 1875[11]
  • Isaac R. Miller – postmaster of Bishopville February 26, 1890 – July 31, 1890[11]
  • J. W. Moody – postmaster of Mullins July 3, 1884 – September 17, 1889; May 4, 1885 – December 26, 1893[11]
  • W. J. Moultrie – postmaster of Georgetown July 22, 1884 – August 2, 1886[11]
  • William Emory Nichols – postmaster of Nichols July 30, 1890 – August 4, 1891[11]
  • Frederick Nix Jr. – postmaster of Blackville August 7, 1879 – May 11, 1885 (also South Carolina House)[91][11]
  • William A. Paul – postmaster of Walterborough February 14, 1884 – May 17, 1889; June 12, 1885 – May 23, 1893[11]
  • John T. Rafra – postmaster of Society Hill May 17, 1889 – September 22, 1893[11]
  • Edward C. Rainey – postmaster of Georgetown January 11, 1875 – June 7, 1877[11]
  • Laura Reed – postmaster of Edisto Island May 30, 1898 – September 21, 1908; March 12, 1901 – January 12, 1910[11]
  • John J. Reynolds – postmaster of Verdery May 24, 1889 – November 11, 1890[11]
  • Alexander S. Richardson – postmaster of Chester September 22, 1873 – April 27, 1875[11]
  • Joseph V. Rivers – postmaster of Lady's Island March 19, 1879 – September 8, 1885[11]
  • Thomas Robinson – postmaster of Bamberg December 27, 1883 – April 21, 1885[11]
  • Thaddeus Sasportas – postmaster of Orangeburg March 19, 1869 – February 17, 1870 (also South Carolina House and South Carolina Constitutional Convention)[11]
  • Edward J. Sawyer – postmaster of Bennettsville August 27, 1883 – May 9, 1892; June 29, 1885 – November 13, 1893[11]
  • Daniel Sanders – postmaster of Walterborough March 31, 1873 – February 14, 1884[11]
  • Robert Smalls – Collector of Customs at Beaufort 1899–1913 (also U.S. Congress, South Carolina House, South Carolina Senate, and South Carolina Constitutional Convention)[90][m]
  • Ishmael H. Smith – postmaster of Port Royal June 22, 1889 – August 9, 1893[11]
  • Frances J. M. Sperry – postmaster of Georgetown September 27, 1890 – June 19, 1893[11]
  • Robert H. Stanley – postmaster of Dovesville July 29, 1889 – December 26, 1893[11]
  • D. Augustus Straker – Inspector of Customs at the port of Charleston (also South Carolina House).
  • Robert A. Stewart – postmaster of Manning May 17, 1889 – December 26, 1893[11]
  • William D. Tardif Jr. – postmaster of Foreston March 3, 1884 – May 1885[11]
  • Robert S. Tarleton – postmaster of White Hall August 20, 1883 – April 22, 1885[11]
  • Henry C. Tindal – postmaster of Paxsville March 12, 1891 – December 26, 1893[11]
  • Cohen Whithead or Whitiehead – postmaster of Kingstree July 26, 1877 – October 25, 1886[11]
  • Charles McDuffie Wilder – postmaster of Columbia April 5, 1869 – June 2, 1885 (also South Carolina House and South Carolina Constitutional Convention)[91][11]
  • Joshua E. Wilson – postmaster of Florence February 8, 1876 – January 27, 1885; March 24, 1890 – July 18, 1899; April 9, 1883 – March 9, 1886; May 11, 1894 – September 1, 1909[91][11]
  • Zachariah Wines – postmaster of Society Hill October 30, 1897 – November 23, 1904 (also South Carolina House)[11]

Local offices

  • Ennals J. Adams – Charleston City Council 1868[95]
  • Macon B. Allen – judge of Charleston County Criminal Court 1873; probate judge for Charleston County 1876 (also a justice of the peace in Massachusetts)[n]
  • Harrison N. Bouey – Edgefield County probate judge in 1875[o]
  • Malcom Brown – Charleston City Council 1869[95]
  • Richard H. Cain – Charleston City Council 1868 (U.S. Congress and South Carolina Attorney General, Senate, House, Constitutional Convention)[95]
  • Richard Dereef – Charleston City Council 1868
  • Robert B. Elliott – Barnwell County commissioner (also U.S. Congress, South Carolina Attorney General, South Carolina Constitutional Convention, and South Carolina House)[90]
  • W. G. Fields – Charleston City Council 1874[95]
  • S. B. Garrett – Charleston City Council 1874[95]
  • John A. Godfrey – Charleston City Council 1874[95]
  • John Gordon – Charleston City Council 1874[95]
  • R. N. Gregorie – Charleston City Council 1874[95]
  • William R. Hampton – Charleston City Council 1869[95]
  • Richard Holloway – Charleston City Council 1869[95]
  • Robert Howard – Charleston City Council 1868, 1869[95]
  • Walter R. Jones – Clerk of the City Council of Columbia (also State Financial Board)[91]
  • William McKinlay – Charleston City Council 1868, 1869, 1874 (also South Carolina House and South Carolina Constitutional Congress)
  • A. B. Mitchell – Charleston City Council 1874[95]
  • B. Moncrief – Charleston City Council 1874[95]
  • George Shrewsbury – Charleston City Council 1874[95]
  • Thomas Small – Charleston City Council 1869[95]
  • Stephen Atkins Swails – mayor of Kingstree 1868 (also South Carolina Senate)
  • Philip Thorne – Charleston City Council 1869[95]
  • James Wagoner – York County trial justice[96]
  • Edward P. Wall – Charleston City Council 1868, 1869[95]
  • Launcelot F. Wall – Charleston City Council 1869[95]
  • William Weston – Charleston City Council 1868[95]
  • William James Whipper – judge of probate Beaufort County (also South Carolina House and South Carolina Constitutional Convention)[91][p]

Tennessee

Summarize
Perspective

Only one African American served in the Tennessee Legislature during the 1870s, but more than a dozen followed in the 1880s as Republicans retook the governorship.[97] They advocated for schools for African Americans, spoke against segregated public facilities, and advocated for voting rights protections.[98]

Tennessee House of Representatives

Other state offices

Other state and federal offices

Local offices

Texas

Summarize
Perspective

During the Reconstruction era, four African Americans won election to the Texas Senate and 32 to the Texas House of Representatives.[100]

Texas Senate

Texas House of Representatives

Texas Constitutional Convention

Federal offices

  • Norris Wright Cuney – United States Collector of Customs Port of Galveston 1889 (Board of Aldermen)
  • Jasper N. Hamilton – postmaster of Eylau April 10, 1890 – June 11, 1895[11]

Local offices

Vermont

Local offices

  • Stephen Bates, Sheriff of Vergennes and the first Black chief law enforcement officer in Vermont history, 1879

Virginia

Summarize
Perspective

In 2012, the Virginia Senate enacted Joint Resolution No. 89, recognizing that Reconstruction in Virginia lasted from 1869 to 1890 due to Jim Crow laws; federal Reconstruction ended in 1877.[129]

Senate of Virginia

Virginia House of Delegates

Virginia Constitutional Convention

Federal offices

  • P. H. A. Braxton – collector at the United States Custom House in Westmoreland County (also constable)
  • William Breedlow or Breedlove – postmaster of Tappahannock March 3, 1870 – March 13, 1871[11]
  • Robert H. Cauthorn – postmaster of Dunnsville September 21, 1897 – October 24, 1901[11]
  • James H. Cunningham – postmaster of Manchester September 20, 1869 – August 1, 1872[11]
  • William Henry Hayes – postmaster of Boydton June 17, 1889 – March 25, 1893[11]
  • John T. Jackson Sr. – postmaster of Alanthus March 23, 1891 – January 31, 1940[11]
  • William H. Johnson – postmaster of Baynesville November 29, 1893 – October 23, 1897[11]
  • Wade H. Mason – postmaster of Bluestone March 13, 1890 – November 14, 1902[11]
  • Isaac Morton – postmaster of Port Royal March 2, 1870 – October 29, 1872[11]
  • Daniel A. Twyman – postmaster of Junta August 12, 1898 – October 23, 1898[11]

Local offices

Washington

Washington did not have any African American legislators during Reconstruction.[42]

Washington House of Representatives

West Virginia

West Virginia did not have any African American legislators during the Reconstruction.[42]

West Virginia House of Delegates

Wyoming

Wyoming did not have any African American legislators during Reconstruction.[42]

Wyoming Territorial House of Representatives

Washington, D.C.

Federal offices

House of Delegates

Local offices

  • Anthony Bowen – Ward 7 Common Council 1879[139]
  • John F. Cook – Ward 1 Board of Aldermen 1868 and city registrar 1869[139]
  • Walker A. Freeman – Ward 1 Common Council 1870[139]
  • Frank B. Gaines – Ward 6 Common Council 1869, 1870[139]
  • Thomas A. Grant – Ward 5 Common Council 1870[139]
  • John T. Johnson – Ward 3 Common Council 1869; reading clerk for Common Council[139]
  • Benjamin McCoy – Ward 4 Common Council 187[139]
  • Sampson Netter – Ward 7 Common Council 1869[139]
  • Henry H. Piper – Ward 2 Common Council 1869, 1870[139]
  • George W. Ratton – Ward 4 Common Council 1869, 1870[139]
  • Carter A. Stewart – Ward 1 Common Council 1868 and Ward 1 Board of Aldermen 1869[139]
  • Robert Thompson – Ward 1 Common Council 1869, 1870[139]
  • Andrew B. Tinney – Ward 5 Common Council 1869[139]
  • James Monroe Trotter – Recorder of Deeds in Washington, D.C. 1887–1890

See also

Notes

  1. He was expelled from the Constitutional Convention by moderate Republicans because of his British citizenship.
  2. Expelled from office
  3. Blocked from office by racial state legislation during 1868 and 1869. After an 1869 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, they were reseated in January 1870.
  4. Turner may not have served as postmaster according to the U.S. Postal Service.
  5. When he became Louisiana's Lieutenant Governor, Oscar James Dunn was the first African American elected to a state-level position in the United States.
  6. Pierre Caliste Landry was the first elected African American mayor in the United States.
  7. All-African American towns that existed in the Indian Territory in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but no longer exist today, include Lee, Lincoln, Udora, and Wellington. For more information, refer to "All-Black Towns" in The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.
  8. Gleaves was elected to a third term as Lt. Governor in 1876 but the Democrats forced him to withdraw.
  9. Lomax was elected to the South Carolina House in 1869 but died in January 1870 before the legislature convened.
  10. Assassinated by the Ku-Klux Klan, according to H. A. Wallace.
  11. Wright was the first African American to occupy a judicial position in the United States.
  12. Murdered during a white mob attack on February 22, 1898.
  13. Smalls lost this position in 1913 when newly installed President Woodrow Wilson segregated federal offices.
  14. Allen was the first African American elected to a municipal judgeship in the United States.
  15. Bouey was elected county sheriff in 1876 but was not granted the position.
  16. Whipper was elected by the legislature a Circuit Court Judge but Governor Chamberlain refused to commission him.
  17. Unseated after being sworn into office.
  18. The next African American to serve in Wyoming's legislature was Liz Byrd who served in Wyoming's House and a few years later to the Wyoming Senate.
  19. William E. Matthews was the first African American to receive an appointment in the United States Postal Service.

References

Further reading

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