A Black Congressman Presides

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James White · Oakland, Cal. · Jul 9, 1874

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 1, No. 4.

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A Black Congressman Presides

THE House of Representatives at Washington has at last been presided over by a liberated slave. Joseph H. Rainey, an emancipated negro, actually occupied the speaker’s chair during the last session, and presided with such ability as to excite the admiration of the entire house. No such honor was ever before conferred upon a colored man in this country.