James T. Rapier
| James T. Rapier | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 2nd district |
|
|
In office March 4, 1873 - March 3, 1875 |
|
| Preceded by | Charles Waldron Buckley |
| Succeeded by | Jeremiah Norman Williams |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Thomas Rapier November 13, 1837 Florence, Alabama |
| Died | May 31, 1883 (aged 45) Montgomery, Alabama |
| Political party | Republican |
James Thomas Rapier (November 13, 1837 – May 31, 1883) was an African-American politician during the Reconstruction Era. He served as a United States Representative from Alabama, he served from 1873 until 1875. Born free, he was educated in Canada and Scotland before being admitted to the bar in Tennessee. He was a nationally prominent figure in the Republican Party as one of seven blacks serving in the 43rd Congress. He worked in 1874 for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which guaranteed access to accommodations.
James T. Rapier was born free in 1837 in Florence, Alabama to John H. Rapier, a prosperous local barber, and his wife, who were established free people of color. As a youth, he went to Nashville, Tennessee to attend an academy for high school, and lived with his grandmother, an enslaved clothes cleaner.
In 1856 his father sent James to Canada for further education. He first settled in North Buxton, Ontario, an all-black community developed with the aid of Rev. William King, a Scots-American Presbyterian missionary. King had bought land (with government approval) for resettlement of black American refugees who had escaped to Canada during the slavery years via the Underground Railroad. The African Americans were building a thriving community, and Rapier's uncle had property there. Rapier attended the Buxton Mission School, which was highly respected. He went on to Montreal College, where he studied law. He also went to Scotland, where he studied at the University of Glasgow. After returning to the United States, Rapier attended Franklin College, a historically black college in Nashville, Tennessee and obtained a teaching certificate in 1863.
...
Wikipedia