African-American Politicians from 19th Century, composite, 2013.
Capitol Historical Artifact Collection, State Preservation Board
After emancipation following the Civil War until 1900, 52 African Americans served as delegates to Constitutional Conventions or as legislators. This composite of these trailblazing African-Americans hangs in the South Foyer. The Honorable Paul B. Ragsdale commissioned the original composite in the early 1970s. Many contributors provided new information for the 1997 Capitol exhibit, "Forever Free: Nineteenth Century African-American Legislators and Constitutional Convention Delegates of Texas," which lead to a second composite. The current composite includes a photograph of J.J. Hamilton provided by Wallace Lumpkin in 2013. If you locate an image of any of the seventeen individuals without a photograph, please contact us.
