OR

source: wikipedia.org
27 Sep, 1827
16 Jan, 1901
Stroke
American
Politician
73
Hiram R. Revels, an American politician, educator, and minister who made history as the first African American to hold office in the United States Congress. Representing Mississippi, he served in the U.S. Senate from 1870 to 1871 during the period of Reconstruction.
Revels was born in North Carolina in 1827. He received his education at a school for black students and later pursued studies at a Quaker seminary in Indiana. He became ordained as a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and embarked on a journey across the Midwest and South in an attempt to spread his teachings, thereby providing education to the black community.
During the Civil War, Revels played a critical role in recruiting and organizing two regiments of black soldiers in Maryland and Missouri. Additionally, he served as a chaplain for a black regiment in Mississippi. After the conclusion of the war, Revels settled in Natchez, Mississippi, where he continued his religious and educational work.
In 1869, Hiram R. Revels won the Republican seat in the Mississippi State Senate. The following year, the state legislature selected him to occupy one of the two empty U.S. Senate positions representing Mississippi. Democrats disputed his election by claiming that he did not meet the constitutional requirement of being a citizen for nine years. This argument stemmed from the fact that black individuals were not recognized as citizens until the ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868. Nevertheless, the Republican majority voted to admit him, thus making Revels the first African American senator in U.S. history.
In 1869, Hiram R. Revels won the Republican seat in the Mississippi State Senate. The following year, the state legislature selected him to occupy one of the two empty U.S. Senate positions representing Mississippi. Democrats disputed his election by claiming that he did not meet the constitutional requirement of being a citizen for nine years. This argument stemmed from the fact that black individuals were not recognized as citizens until the ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868. Nevertheless, the Republican majority voted to admit him, thus making Revels the first African American senator in U.S. history.
During his one-year term in the Senate, Revels advocated for civil rights and promoted education for black people.
He left the Senate and returned to Mississippi where he became the inaugural president of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College, which is now known as Alcorn State University. Revels passed away in 1901 at the age of 73.
During his one-year term in the Senate, Revels advocated for civil rights and promoted education for black people. He left the Senate and returned to Mississippi where he became the inaugural president of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College which is now known as Alcorn State University. Revels passed away in 1901 at the age of 73.
Hiram R. Revels
Hiram R. Revels
Male
Stroke
Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S.
Aberdeen, Mississippi, U.S.
Mediator: Hiram R. Revels believed that all races should be treated equal. He also believed in doing the right thing.
After his brief term in the Senate, Revels became the first president of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Alcorn State University), one of the first land-grant colleges for African Americans.
Hiram R. Revels became the first African American to serve in the United States Senate in 1870, representing Mississippi during the Reconstruction era.
Despite facing opposition from Southern Democrats, Revels was sworn into the Senate on February 25, 1870, just days after the ratification of the 15th Amendment.
Before entering politics, Revels was an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and helped recruit Black troops for the Union Army during the Civil War.
He was the first African-American to become a member of Congress.