On This Day: Hiram Revels Became First Black Senator

(AURN News) — On Feb. 25, 1870, Hiram Rhodes Revels became the first Black man to serve in the United States Senate.

After the Civil War, Revels moved to Mississippi and was elected to fill one of the state’s vacant Senate seats as it reentered the Union during the Reconstruction era.

This print from the French newspaper, L’Illustration, depicts Hiram Revels taking his oath of office in the Senate Chamber on February 25, 1870.
credit: L’Illustration: Journal Universel, April 9, 1870

His arrival in the Senate was met with resistance. Some senators falsely argued that he had not met the Senate’s nine-year citizenship requirement. But Revels was born free and had long been a registered voter in Ohio, making those objections baseless.

While in office, he opposed efforts to block Black lawmakers from holding office in Georgia.

Senator Hiram Revels of Mississippi was the first African American member of the United States Senate. He took the oath of office on February 25, 1870.
credit: Library of Congress

His term ended in 1871, and he later became president of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College in Mississippi.

Revels died in 1901 at age 73.

About the Author

Clay Cane

Clay Cane is an award-winning journalist, writer, radio host, and political commentator. A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in African-American Studies, his work on race, culture, and politics have appeared in national publications, including the Washington Post, CNN, and The Grio. Clay is a regular political commentator on MSNBC.

Clay Cane

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