1872

Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback assumes the governorship of Louisiana after the impeachment of Gov. Henry Warmoth, serving until January 13, 1873. The son of a Mississippi planter and an enslaved woman, he remains the only Black governor in American history until Douglas Wilder in 1990.

Charlotte E. Ray graduates from Howard University Law School and is admitted to the District of Columbia Bar, becoming the first Black woman attorney in the United States and only the third woman of any race admitted to the U.S. bar. She specialized in corporate law and real estate, though discrimination ultimately forced her to abandon her practice.

P.B.S. Pinchback served as Acting Governor of Louisiana December 9, 1872 to January 13, 1873, after Gov. Henry Clay Warmoth was impeached — the first Black governor in U.S. history. Son of a white planter and a formerly enslaved woman, Pinchback later won election to the Senate and House, though Congress denied him both seats.

P.B.S. Pinchback served as Acting Governor of Louisiana from December 9, 1872 to January 13, 1873, after Governor Henry Clay Warmoth was impeached. Son of a white Mississippi planter and a formerly enslaved woman, Pinchback was the first Black governor in U.S. history. He later won election to both the Senate and House, though Congress denied him both seats.

John Roy Lynch, a formerly enslaved man from Natchez, Mississippi, was elected Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1872 at the age of 24, making him one of the youngest Speakers in the state's history. He subsequently won election to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served three terms and became a prominent voice for Reconstruction policy.

John Roy Lynch, born enslaved, was elected Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1872 at age 24 — the youngest speaker in Mississippi history. He went on to serve three terms in the U.S. Congress, presiding over the 1884 Republican National Convention as temporary chairman, the first Black American to chair a major party national convention.

John Roy Lynch, born enslaved in Louisiana, is elected Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives at age 24, the youngest Speaker in state history. He later served three terms in the U.S. Congress and wrote 'The Facts of Reconstruction' (1913), a definitive firsthand account refuting Lost Cause mythology.

John Roy Lynch, formerly enslaved and self-taught to read, was elected Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1872 at age 24 — the youngest Speaker in state history. The following year he was elected to the U.S. Congress, where he served three terms and delivered one of the key speeches for the Civil Rights Act of 1875. He later wrote The Facts of Reconstruction (1913).

Charlotte E. Ray was admitted to the bar of the District of Columbia in February 1872, becoming the first Black woman lawyer in the United States and the first woman admitted to the DC bar. She graduated from Howard University School of Law. Though racial and gender prejudice limited her practice, her admission was a landmark for both Black and women's professional equality.

Canadian-born Black inventor Elijah McCoy patented his automatic lubricating cup for steam engines, allowing locomotives to be oiled while in motion. His device became so trusted that engineers insisted on 'the real McCoy,' giving rise to the popular phrase and marking a landmark in industrial innovation.

John Henry Conyers of South Carolina, appointed by Congressman Joseph Rainey, becomes the first African American to be admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. Though he faced intense harassment and was ultimately forced out without graduating, his appointment demonstrated Black political power in Reconstruction and cracked open the door of military service academies.

Pinchback serves as Louisiana governor — the first Black governor in US history.