Reading
Black Officeholders in the South
These tables provide data about African American officeholders in the South during Reconstruction.
At a Glance
Subject
- History
- Democracy & Civic Engagement
- Human & Civil Rights
- Racism
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
Table 1: Black Officeholders during Reconstruction By State
| 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 |
Table 2: Black Officeholders during Reconstruction: Federal
| 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 |
Table 3: Black Members of Congress during Reconstruction
| State | Name |
| Alabama | Jeremiah Haralson |
| James T. Rapier | |
| Benjamin S. Turner | |
| Florida | Josiah T. Walls |
| Georgia | Jefferson Long |
| Louisiana | Charles E. Nash |
| Mississippi | Blanche K. Bruce |
| John R. Lynch | |
| 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 |
Table 4: Black Officeholders during Reconstruction: State and Major Black State Officials
| Title | Number | State | 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 | Louisiana | P.B.S. Pinchback |
| Justice of Supreme Court | 1 | South Carolina | Jonathan J. Wright |
| Land Commission, including County Agents (South Carolina) | 10 | ||
| Legislative Clerk | 7 | ||
| Legislator: House of Representatives | 683 | ||
| Legislator: Senate | 112 | ||
| Lieutenant Governor | 6 | Louisiana | Caesar C. Antoine |
| Oscar J. Dunn | |||
| P.B.S. Pinchback | |||
| Mississippi | Alexander K. Davis | ||
| South Carolina | Richard H. Cleaves | ||
| Alonzo Ransier | |||
| Lunatic Asylum, Assistant Physician | 1 | ||
| Lunatic Asylum, Board of Regents | 7 | ||
| Militia Officer | 60 | ||
| Orphan Asylum, Board of Trustees | 6 | ||
| Secretary of State | 9 | Florida | Jonathan C. Gibbs |
| Louisiana | Pierre G. Deslonde | ||
| Mississippi | Hannibal C. Carter | ||
| James Hill | |||
| James Lynch | |||
| M.M. McLeod | |||
| Hiram Revels | |||
| South Carolina | Francis L. Cardozo | ||
| Henry E. Hayne | |||
| Speaker of House | 4 | Mississippi | John R. Lynch |
| Isaac D. Shadd | |||
| South Carolina | Robert B. Elliott | ||
| Samuel J. Lee | |||
| State Commissioner | 5 | Arkansas | William H. Grey, Commr. of Immigration and State Lands |
| James T. White, Commr. of Public Works | |||
| Mississippi | Richard Griggs, Commr. of Immigration and Agriculture | ||
| South Carolina | Robert G. DeLarge, Land Commr. | ||
| Henry E Hayne, Land Commr. | |||
| Superintendent of Education | 4 | Arkansas | Joseph C. Corbin |
| Florida | Jonathan C. Gibbs | ||
| Louisiana | William C. Brown | ||
| Mississippi | Thomas C. Cardozo | ||
| Treasurer | 2 | Louisiana | Antoine Debuclet |
| South Carolina | Francis L. Cardozo | ||
| Total | 1200 |
Table 5: Black Officeholders during Reconstruction: County or Local
| Assessor | 32 | Harbor Master | 3 |
| Auditor | 7 | Health Officer | 1 |
| Board of Education | 79 | Inspector | 10 |
| Board of Health | 1 | Jailor | 9 |
| Chancery Clerk | 1 | Judge | 11 |
| Charitable Institutions, Supervisor of | 1 | Jury Commissioner | 1 |
| City Attorney | 1 | Justice of the Peace or Magistrate | 232 |
| City Clerk | 1 | Lumber Measurer | 1 |
| City Council | 146 | Mayor | 5 |
| City Marshal | 7 | Notary Public | 5 |
| City Officer (unidentified) | 3 | Ordinary | 3 |
| City Public Works Commissioner | 2 | Overseer of Poor | 7 |
| Claims Commissioner | 1 | Overseer of Roads | 1 |
| Clerk | 12 | Park Commission | 1 |
| Clerk of Court | 24 | Police Officer | 71 |
| Clerk of Market | 2 | Recorder | 9 |
| Constable | 41 | Register of Bankruptcy | 1 |
| Coroner | 33 | Register of Deeds | 2 |
| County Attorney | 1 | Register of Mesne Conveyances | 1 |
| County Clerk | 2 | Registrar | 116 |
| County Commissioner | 113 | Sheriff | 41 |
| County Superintendent of Schools | 14 | Solicitor | 1 |
| County Treasurer | 17 | Street Commissioner | 5 |
| Deputy Sheriff | 25 | Streetcar Commissioner | 1 |
| Detective | 2 | Tax Collector | 35 |
| District Attorney | 1 | Trustee | 2 |
| District Clerk | 1 | Warden | 4 |
| Election Officer | 52 | Weigher | 4 |
Table 6: Antebellum Status of Black Officeholders during Reconstruction
| 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.
- Blanche K. BruceServed in U.S. Senate.
- Hiram RevelsServed in U.S. Senate.
Supporting Materials
How to Cite This Reading
Facing History & Ourselves, "Black Officeholders in the South," last updated July 11, 2022.
This reading contains text not authored by Facing History & Ourselves. See footnotes for source information.
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