Celebrating Black History Month: Wyatt Outlaw, first black constable in Graham, NC, lynched in 1870

Wyatt Outlaw, born around 1820, was an African American community leader in Alamance County, North Carolina. As a leader of many African American activities, Outlaw was the first African American appointed to the Graham Town Council by Governor Holden, and became one of three black constables of the town.

The whites in the town weren't happy about being policed by African Americans.  In 1869, they held a nighttime ride in Ku Klux Klan garb through the streets of Graham to frighten the constables. Outlaw and another constable opened fire but no injuries were reported.

This incident enraged the racists and on February 26, 1870, the Ku Klux Klan dragged Outlaw from his home and lunched him in the courthouse square in Graham.

In 1873, the Grand Jury of Alamance County brought charges against 63 Klansmen, including 18 counts of murder in connection with the lynching of Outlaw, but the charges were later dropped.  No one has ever been tried for his murder.

Celebrating Black History Month: Joseph Rainey, first African-American elected to US House of Representatives

Joseph Rainey, born June 21, 1832 in Georgetown, South Carolina, was the first African-American to be elected to the United States House of Representative.  His father managed to purchase freedom for his wife and two sons.  Rainey worked with his father as a barber and developed a wide social network in his community.  

He traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1959, where he met a free woman of color.  They married and returned to South Carolina, where their three children were born. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Rainey was forced to work by the Confederates on fortifications in Charleston, SC.  He escaped with his family to Bermuda in 1862, where he resumed work as a barber. He and his wife, a successful dressmaker, made a prosperous living and became well respected in Bermuda.

They returned to South Carolina settling in Charleston in 1866 after the war ended. Rainey's wealth and experience helped establish him as a leader in the city, which was 43 percent African-American. He became involved in politics and was elected to the South Carolina Senate in 1870. That same year, he won a special election to fill a vacancy created by the departure of Benjamin Whittemore, who had been censured for corruption.

Rainey was seated December 12, 1870, becoming the first African-American to be elected to the US House of Representatives.  He served a total of four terms, a record for black Congressman, until William Dawson in the 1950s. 

After leaving Congress, Rainey continued to work in the government in both Washington, DC and South Carolina.  He returned to South Carolina when he retired in 1886. He contracted malaria in died in August 1887 in Georgetown. 

Celebrating Black History Month: Hiram Rhodes Revels, first African-American U.S. Senator

Hiram Rhodes Revels, born September 27, 1827 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, became the first African-American senator when he was elected February 25, 1870, representing the State of Mississippi.  During the Civil War, he organized two regiments of the United States Colored Troops and acted as chaplain.

In 1869 he was elected to the Mississippi State Senate representing Adams County.  In 1870, he was elected by the state senate to finish the term of a U.S. senator which had been vacant since the Civil War.  His election was opposed by southern Democrats, but on February 25, 1870, he was elected by a vote of 48 to 8. 

He served for one year until March 3, 1871 and worked for equality during his term.  He passed away in January 1901 in Aberdeen, Mississippi.