Hiram R. Revels

Hiram R. Revels
United States Senator
from Mississippi
In office
February 25, 1870 – March 3, 1871
Preceded byAlbert G. Brown
Succeeded byJames L. Alcorn
19th Secretary of State of Mississippi
In office
December 30, 1872 – September 1, 1873
GovernorRidgely C. Powers
Preceded byJames D. Lynch
Succeeded byHannibal C. Carter
Personal details
Born
Hiram Rhodes Revels

(1827-09-27)September 27, 1827
Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedJanuary 16, 1901(1901-01-16) (aged 73)
Aberdeen, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpousePhoebe Bass
Children8, including Susie Revels Cayton, and Ida Revels Redmond
Education
  • Beech Grove Quaker Seminary
  • Darke County Seminary
  • Knox College
Military service
Allegiance
Branch/service Union Army
Years of service1863–1865
UnitChaplain Corps
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Hiram Rhodes Revels (September 27, 1827[note 1] – January 16, 1901) was an American Republican politician, minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and college administrator. Born free in North Carolina, he later lived and worked in Ohio, where he voted before the Civil War. Elected by the Mississippi legislature to the United States Senate as a Republican to represent Mississippi in 1870 and 1871 during the Reconstruction era, he was the first African American to serve in either house of the U.S. Congress.

During the American Civil War, Revels had helped organize two regiments of the United States Colored Troops and served as a chaplain. After serving in the Senate, Revels was appointed as the first president of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Alcorn State University), a historically black college. He served from 1871 to 1873. Later in his life, he served again as a minister.
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).