January 1872

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).