Reading
Black Officeholders in the South
These tables provide data about African American officeholders in the South during Reconstruction.
The following six tables provide information about the numbers of African American officeholders in the South during Reconstruction and the backgrounds of those officeholders. 1
| State | Number of Officeholders |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 173 |
| Arkansas | 46 |
| District of Columbia | 11 |
| Florida | 58 |
| Georgia | 135 |
| Louisiana | 210 |
| Mississippi | 226 |
| Missouri | 1 |
| North Carolina | 187 |
| South Carolina | 316 |
| Tennessee | 20 |
| Texas | 49 |
| Virginia | 85 |
| Total | 1517 2 |
| Title | Number of Officeholders |
|---|---|
| Ambassador | 2 |
| Census Marshal | 6 |
| Census Taker | 14 |
| Clerk | 12 |
| Congressman: Senate | 2 |
| Congressman: House of Representatives | 14 |
| Customs Appointment | 40 |
| Deputy US Marshal | 11 |
| Engineer | 1 |
| Mail Agent | 14 |
| Pension Agent | 1 |
| Postmaster/Post Office Official | 43 |
| Register of Bankruptcy | 1 |
| Timber Agent | 1 |
| US Assessor | 10 |
| US Grand Jury | 3 |
| US Land Office | 5 |
| US Treasury Agent | 3 |
| Unidentified Patronage Appointment | 2 |
| Total | 185 |
| State | House of Representatives | Senate |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama |
Jeremiah Haralson, James T. Rapier, Benjamin S. Turner |
|
| Florida | Josiah T. Walls | |
| Georgia | Jefferson Long | |
| Louisiana | Charles E. Nash | |
| Mississippi | John R. Lynch |
Blanche K. Bruce, Hiram Revels |
| North Carolina | John A. Hyman | |
| South Carolina |
Richard H. Cain, Robert C DeLarge, Robert B. Elliot, Joseph H. Rainey, Alonzo J. Ransier, Robert Smalls |
| Title | Number | Name(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture | 1 | |
| Assistant Secretary of State | 3 | |
| Assistant Superintendent of Education | 2 | |
| Board of Education | 1 | |
| Constitutional Convention 1867-1869: Delegate | 267 | |
| Constitutional Convention 1875: Delegate (North Carolina) | 7 | |
| Deaf and Dumb Asylum, Superintendent | 1 | |
| Governor | 1 | P.B.S. Pinchback (LA) |
| Justice of Supreme Court | 1 | Jonathan J. Wright (SC) |
| Land Commission, including County Agents (South Carolina) | 10 | |
| Legislative Clerk | 7 | |
| Legislator: House of Representatives | 683 | |
| Legislator: Senate | 112 | |
| Lieutenant Governor | 6 | Caesar C. Antoine (LA), Oscar J. Dunn (LA), P.B.S. Pinchback (LA), Alexander K. Davis (MS), Richard H. Cleaves (SC), Alonzo Ransier (SC) |
| Lunatic Asylum, Assistant Physician | 1 | |
| Lunatic Asylum, Board of Regents | 7 | |
| Militia Officer | 60 | |
| Orphan Asylum, Board of Trustees | 6 | |
| Secretary of State | 9 | Jonathan C. Gibbs (FL), Pierre G. Deslonde (LA), Hannibal C. Carter (MS), James Hill (MS), James Lynch (MS), M.M. McLeod (MS), Hiram Revels (MS), Francis L. Cardozo (SC), Henry E. Hayne (SC) |
| Speaker of House | 4 | John R. Lynch (MS), Isaac D. Shadd (MS), Robert B. Elliott (SC), Samuel J. Lee (SC) |
| State Commissioner | 5 | William H. Grey, Commr. of Immigration and State Lands (AR), James T. White, Commr. of Public Works (AR), Robert G. DeLarge, Land Commr. (SC), Henry E Hayne, Land Commr. (SC) |
| Superintendent of Education | 4 | Joseph C. Corbin (AR), Jonathan C. Gibbs (FL), William C. Brown (LA), Thomas C. Cardozo (MS) |
| Treasurer | 2 |
Antoine Debuclet (LA), |
| Total | 1200 |
| Title | Number |
|---|---|
| Assessor | 32 |
| Auditor | 7 |
| Board of Education | 79 |
| Board of Health | 1 |
| Chancery Clerk | 1 |
| Charitable Institutions, Supervisor of | 1 |
| City Attorney | 1 |
| City Clerk | 1 |
| City Council | 146 |
| City Marshal | 7 |
| City Officer (unidentified) | 3 |
| City Public Works Commissioner | 2 |
| Claims Commissioner | 1 |
| Clerk | 12 |
| Clerk of Court | 24 |
| Clerk of Market | 2 |
| Constable | 41 |
| Coroner | 33 |
| County Attorney | 1 |
| County Clerk | 2 |
| County Commissioner | 113 |
| County Superintendent of Schools | 14 |
| County Treasurer | 17 |
| Deputy Sheriff | 25 |
| Detective | 2 |
| District Attorney | 1 |
| District Clerk | 1 |
| Election Officer | 52 |
| Harbor Master | 3 |
| Health Officer | 1 |
| Inspector | 10 |
| Jailor | 9 |
| Judge | 11 |
| Jury Commissioner | 1 |
| Justice of the Peace or Magistrate | 232 |
| Lumber Measurer | 1 |
| Mayor | 5 |
| Notary Public | 5 |
| Ordinary | 3 |
| Overseer of Poor | 7 |
| Overseer of Roads | 1 |
| Park Commission | 1 |
| Police Officer | 71 |
| Recorder | 9 |
| Register of Bankruptcy | 1 |
| Register of Deeds | 2 |
| Register of Mesne Conveyances | 1 |
| Registrar | 116 |
| Sheriff | 41 |
| Solicitor | 1 |
| Street Commissioner | 5 |
| Streetcar Commissioner | 1 |
| Tax Collector | 35 |
| Trustee | 2 |
| Warden | 4 |
| Weigher | 4 |
| State | Slave | Free | Both | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 42 | 9 | 8 | 114 |
| Arkansas | 12 | 5 | 3 | 26 |
| District of Columbia | 0 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| Florida | 15 | 8 | 2 | 32 |
| Georgia | 20 | 15 | 5 | 95 |
| Louisiana | 33 | 81 | 2 | 93 |
| Mississippi | 59 | 28 | 6 | 131 |
| Missouri | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| North Carolina | 22 | 34 | 3 | 126 |
| South Carolina | 131 | 88 | 5 | 91 |
| Tennessee | 4 | 7 | 2 | 7 |
| Texas | 28 | 6 | 4 | 11 |
| Virginia | 21 | 40 | 12 | 12 |
| Total | 387 | 327 | 55 | 741 |
- 1All data adopted from Eric Foner, Freedom’s Lawmakers: A Directory of Black Officeholders during Reconstruction, revised ed. (Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1996), xi–xxxii.
- 2Historians estimate the total number of black officeholders is closer to 2,000 but these numbers reflect only those for whom definite records exist.
Supporting Materials
How to Cite This Reading
Facing History & Ourselves, “Black Officeholders in the South”, last updated March 14, 2016.
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