List of first African-American U.S. state legislators

Alabama

first African-American man elected to the Alabama Senate: Benjamin F. Royal (1868)

first African-American woman elected to the Alabama Senate: Sundra Escott-Russell (1990)

first African-American man elected to the Alabama House of Representatives: Jeremiah Haralson (1870)

Alaska

first African-American woman elected to the Alaska House of Representatives: Blanche McSmith (1959)

first African-American woman elected to the Alaska Senate: Bettye Davis (2000)

first African-American man elected to the Alaska House of Representatives: Willard L. Bowman (1972)

first African-American man elected to the Alaska Senate:David S. Wilson (2017)

Arkansas

first African-American woman elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives: Irma Hunter Brown (1981)

first African-American man elected to the Arkansas Senate: Jerry Jewell (1972)

Arizona

First African-American woman elected to the Arizona House of Representatives: Ethel Maynard (1966)

First African-American man elected to the Arizona Senate: Cloves Campbell Sr. (1966)

California

First African-American elected to the California State Assembly (or to political office on the West Coast): Frederick Madison Roberts, California State Assembly (1918)

first African-American woman in the California Legislature: Yvonne Brathwaite Burke (1966)

First African-American speaker of the California State Assembly: Willie Lewis Brown, Jr. (1980)

First African-American woman elected Speaker of the California State Assembly: Karen Bass (2008)

First African-American elected to the California Senate: Mervyn Dymally (1967)

Colorado

first African-American man elected to the Colorado House of Representatives: John T. Gunnell (1881)

first African-American woman elected to the Colorado Senate: Gloria Tanner (1994)

first African-American man elected to the Colorado Senate: George L. Brown (1957)

first African-American Speaker of the House: Terrance Carroll (2009)

first African-American President of the Senate: Peter Groff (2008)

First bicameral state legislature to have both chambers headed simultaneously by African Americans: Peter Groff and Terrance Carroll of Colorado (2009)

Connecticut

first African-American man elected to the Connecticut General Assembly: Wilfred X. Johnson (1958)

first African-American woman elected to the Connecticut General Assembly: Margaret Morton (1973)

first African-American man elected to the Connecticut Senate: Boce W. Barlow Jr. (1966)

Delaware

first African-American man elected to the Delaware Senate: Herman Holloway (1963)

Florida

First African-American woman elected to the Florida House of Representatives: Gwen Cherry (1970)

first woman in the Senate: Carrie Meek (1980)

First African-American man elected to the House since Reconstruction: Joe Lang Kershaw (1968)

First African-American man elected to the Senate: Arnett E. Girardeau (1982)

Georgia

First 33 African-American legislators in Georgia: see Original 33 (1868)

First African-American woman elected to the House: Grace Towns Hamilton (1966)

First African-American woman elected to the Georgia Senate: Nadine Thomas (1992)

First African-American man elected to the Georgia Senate since 1874: Leroy Johnson (1963)

Hawaii

First African-American woman elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives and Hawaii Senate: Charles Campbell (1976; 1978)

Idaho

First African-American elected to the Idaho House of Representatives: Cherie Buckner-Webb (2010)

First African-American elected to the Idaho Senate: Cherie Buckner-Webb (2012)

Illinois

first African American elected to the Illinois General Assembly: John W. E. Thomas (1876)

First African-American elected to the Illinois Senate: Adelbert Roberts (1924)

first African-American woman elected to the Illinois General Assembly: Floy Clements (1958)

first African-American woman elected to the Illinois Senate: Earlene Collins (1977)

Indiana

First African-American man elected to the Indiana House of Representatives: James Sidney Hinton (1880)^[1][2]

first African-American woman elected to the Indiana House of Representatives: Daisy Riley Lloyd (1964)

first African-American man elected to the Indiana Senate: Robert Brokenburr (1940)

first African-American woman elected to the Indiana Senate: Julia Carson (1977)

Iowa

First African-American elected to the Iowa Senate: Thomas Mann (1983)

Kansas

First African-Americans elected to the Kansas Senate: Curtis McClinton Sr. and George Haley (1960)

Kentucky

First African-American woman (and first woman) elected to the Kentucky Senate: Georgia Davis Powers (1968)

Louisiana

First African-American elected to the Louisiana Senate since Reconstruction: Elbert Guillory (2009)

Maine

First African-American elected to the Maine Senate: John Jenkins (1996)

Maryland

First African-American elected to the Maryland State Senate: Harry A. Cole (1955)

first African-American women elected to the Maryland General Assembly: Verda F. Welcome and Irma George Dixon (1958)

Massachusetts

first African-American men elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives: Edward G. Walker and Charles L. Mitchell (1866)

first African-American woman elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives: Doris Bunte (1973)

first African-American man elected to the Massachusetts Senate: Bill Owens (1975)

Michigan

first African-American woman to be elected to the Michigan Legislature: Charline White (1950)

first African-American woman elected to Michigan Senate (also first African-American women elected (rather than appointed) to a state senate in the United States): Cora Brown (1952)

first African-American man elected to Michigan Senate: Charles A. Roxborough II (1930)

Minnesota

First African-American man elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives: John Francis Wheaton (1898)

First African-American woman elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives: Neva Walker (2001)

First African-American man elected to the Minnesota Senate: B. Robert Lewis (1972)

Mississippi

first African-American male member of the House: John R. Lynch (1869)

First African-American Speaker of the House, and of any state legislature: John R. Lynch (1873)

First African-American woman to be elected to the House: Alyce Clarke (1985)

First African-American woman to be elected to the Senate: Alice Harden (1988)

first African-American male Senator since Reconstruction: Arthur Tate (1979)

Missouri

first African-American male member of the House: Walthall M. Moore (1921)

first African-American male member of the Missouri Senate: Ted McNeal

Montana

• 1967

First African-American woman elected to the Montana Legislature: Geraldine W. Travis

Nebraska

• 2008

First African-American women elected to the Nebraska Legislature: Tanya Cook and Brenda Council

Nevada

First African-American man elected to the Nevada Senate: Joe Neal (1972)

First African-American woman elected to the Nevada Senate: Bernice Mathews (1994)

First African-American man elected to the Nevada Assembly: Woodrow Wilson (1966)

First African-American woman elected to the Nevada Assembly: Dina Neal (2011)

New Hampshire

First African-American man elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives: Henry B. Richardson (1974)

New Jersey

first African-American man elected to the New Jersey General Assembly: Walter G. Alexander (1920)

first African-American woman elected to the New Jersey General Assembly: Madaline A. Williams (1957)

first African-American man to serve as Speaker of the General Assembly: Walter G. Alexander (1921)

first African-American man elected as Speaker of the General Assembly: S. Howard Woodson (1974)

New Mexico

first African-American woman elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives: Sheryl Williams Stapleton (1995)

New York

First African-American man elected to the New York State Assembly: Edward A. Johnson (1917)

First African-American man elected to the New York State Senate: Julius A. Archibald (1953)

First African-American woman elected to the New York State Assembly: Bessie A. Buchanan (1955)

first African-American woman elected to the New York State Senate: Constance Baker Motley (1964)

First African-American elected Speaker of the New York State Assembly: Carl Heastie^[3] (2015)

North Carolina

First African-American man elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives: Henry Frye (1969)

First African-American woman elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives: Annie Brown Kennedy (1979)

First African-American men elected to the North Carolina Senate: John Winters and Frederick D. Alexander (1974)

Ohio

first African-American man elected to the Ohio Senate: John Patterson Green (1892)

first African-American woman elected to the Ohio House of Representatives: Helen Rankin (1978)

Oklahoma

first African-American male member of the Oklahoma Senate: E. Melvin Porter (1965)

first black speaker of the House: T.W. Shannon (2013)

Oregon

First African-American woman elected to the Oregon House of Representatives: Margaret Carter (1985)

First African-American woman elected to the Oregon Senate: Avel Gordly (1996)

First African-American man elected to the Oregon House of Representatives: Bill McCoy (1972)

Pennsylvania

first African-American woman to be elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and to any state legislature: Crystal Bird Fauset (1938)

first African-American man to be elected to the Pennsylvania Senate: Herbert Arlene (1967)

Rhode Island

first African-American woman to be elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives: Mary Ross (1993)

South Carolina

first African-American woman elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives: Juanita Goggins (1975)

first African-American man elected to the South Carolina Senate: I. DeQuincey Newman (1983)

first African-American woman elected to the South Carolina Senate: Maggie Wallace Glover (1992)

Tennessee

first African American elected to the Tennessee General Assembly: Sampson W. Keeble (1873)

first African-American woman elected to the Tennessee General Assembly: Dorothy Lavinia Brown (1966)

Texas

• 1869

First African-American men elected to the Texas Senate: George T. Ruby and Matt Gaines

• 1869

First African-American men elected to the Texas House of Representatives: 14 men

• 1966

First African-American woman elected to the Texas Senate: Barbara Jordan

• 1973

First African-American women elected to the Texas House of Representatives: Senfronia Thompson and Eddie Bernice Johnson

Utah

first African-American elected to the Utah Senate: Terry Williams (1981)

First African-American woman elected to the Utah Legislature: Sandra Hollins (2015)

Vermont

First African-American man elected to Vermont House of Representatives and to any state legislature: Alexander Twilight (1836)

Virginia

first African-American man to be elected to the Virginia Senate: Douglas Wilder (1969)

first African-American woman to be elected to the Virginia House of Delegates: Yvonne B. Miller (1984)

Washington

• 1971

first African-American woman elected to the Washington Legislature: Peggy Maxie

Wisconsin

• 1977

first African-American woman elected to the Wisconsin Legislature: Marcia Coggs

West Virginia

• 1886

first African-American man to be elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates: Christopher Payne

• 1928

first African-American woman to be serve in the West Virginia House of Delegates: Minnie Buckingham Harper (appointed)

• 1998

first African-American woman to be elected to the West Virginia Senate: Marie Redd

Wyoming

• 1879

first African American elected to the Wyoming Legislature: William Jefferson Hardin

• 1988

First African-American woman elected to the Wyoming Legislature: Harriet Elizabeth Byrd

References