BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN MAYORS :

In the 19th century in the American South during reconstruction, African American began to be elected to many local offices such as Sheriff or Justice of the Peace and some became the first African American Mayors of cities and towns. After this brief period African American found themselves unavailable to obtain Mayoral Offices due to racial discrimination. In the 1960 they again began to be elected or appointed to Mayoral position following the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement and passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.

African American began to be elected Mayor in majority European American and other municipalities made there political participation one of daily life in many localities. 1868 First African American elected Mayor of a U.S. Town, Pierre  Caliste, Donaldson ville, Louisianan. 1869 First African American Mayor of Mary-ville, Tennessee.  1888  First African American Mayor of a predominately white U.S. town, Edward Duplex, Wheat-land, California.