John Adams Hyman
John Adams Hyman | |
|---|---|
Charles R. Thomas | |
| Succeeded by | Curtis Hooks Brogden |
| Member of the North Carolina Senate | |
| In office 1868–1874 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 23, 1840 near Warrenton, North Carolina |
| Died | September 14, 1891 (aged 51) Washington, D.C. |
| Political party | Republican |
John Adams Hyman (July 23, 1840 – September 14, 1891) was a
Early life
Born into slavery on July 23, 1840, near Warrenton, North Carolina, Hyman was later enslaved in Alabama.[2] Hyman did not receive any formal education as a child. By 1861, he had returned to North Carolina and was working as a janitor for a jeweler named King in Warrenton. King was from Pennsylvania and taught Hyman to read and write; when this was discovered by whites in town, they forced King and his wife to leave the community.[2] When Hyman persisted in trying to gain an education, at the age of 21 he was sold to a new master in Alabama.[3] In twenty-five years as a slave, Hyman was sold at least eight times.[4]
Post-Civil War and political career
After the Civil War and the emancipation of enslaved people, Hyman returned to North Carolina in 1865.[1] He worked as a farmer and pursued elementary studies. He also established a grocery store in Warrenton.[2]
Recognized for his leadership, Hyman was chosen as a delegate to the state equal rights convention in 1865 and to the state Constitutional Convention in 1868. Hyman was elected to the North Carolina Senate, where he served from 1868 to 1874 during the Reconstruction era.
In 1874, Hyman was elected as a
By 1877, New Bern had become a black-majority town; blacks elected representatives to the board of aldermen and the Craven County Commission, until the Democratic-dominated state legislature withdrew the county's authority to govern itself. The county continued to elect at least one black legislator each session to the state house for another decade, as did other majority-black counties in the northeast part of the state.[6]
Hyman was appointed as special deputy collector of internal revenue for the fourth district of North Carolina from July 1, 1877 to June 30, 1878.[2]
He moved to Washington, D.C., after being accused of misappropriating church funds.[3] He worked for the United States Post Office Department and for the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.
Legacy and honors
- A North Carolina historical marker has been installed in Warrenton, about a block from Hyman's former homesite.[3]
Personal life
Hyman had a wife and four children. He died in Washington, D.C. in 1891.[1] He was buried in Columbian Harmony Cemetery in Washington, D.C.[1]
See also
- List of African-American United States representatives
- African-American officeholders during and following the Reconstruction era
References
- ^ a b c d "Hyman, John Adams". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Balanoff, Elizabeth. “Negro Legislators in the North Carolina General Assembly, July, 1868-February, 1872.” The North Carolina Historical Review 49, no. 1 (1972): 26. via JSTOR, accessed January 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Marker: E-101". www.ncmarkers.com. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- S2CID 150331300.
- ^ Benjamin R. Justesen, George Henry White: An Even Chance in the Race of Life (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2001): 37-38
- ^ Justesen (2001), George Henry White, p. 38
- United States Congress. "John Adams Hyman (id: H001025)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2009-04-26
- "Hyman rose from slavery to serve in U.S. Congress", Littleton Observer
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