James W. Poe was a state legislator in North Carolina. He was African American. He lived in Ashland, North Carolina.[1] He was 28 when he was elected in 1882.[1] He represented Caswell County in 1883,[2] as a Republican Party and served until 1885.[3]
He was the president of the Colored Citizens' Patriotic League in Virginia from at least 1917 - 1920.[3][4][5] The group opposed efforts to repatriate African Americans to Africa and proposals for an African American state in part of what is Mexico.[6] The groups encouraged African Americans to stay in the south noting crowded conditions in northern cities.[7] It also reported discrimination in the northern states.[8]