Republican Senator Hiram Rhodes Revels, Mississippi

Hiram Rhodes Revels (1827-1901), oil portrait Wikipedia, U.S. Senator (Republican), Mississippi, 1870-1871.

Revels was born to free parents in 1827 in North Carolina. In 1844, he moved north to continue his education in theological studies and was ordained a minister in the AME Church. During the Civil War, he served as a chaplain in the Union Army as well as helped recruit African American soldiers. In January 1870, Revels was elected to fill the Senate seat making him the first African American elected to the U.S. Congress. After the expiration of his term, Revels returned to Mississippi to become the first president of Alcorn State College.

Clip of Revel's obituary from St. Albans Daily Messenger (St. Albans, Vt.), Mon., Mar. 25, 1901, p. 2.

A little anecdote on Revels tall figure: