James A. Black

James Augustus Black (1793 – April 3, 1848) was a slave owner,[1] manufacturer, cotton broker, and U.S. Representative from South Carolina.

James Augustus Black
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Carolina's 1st district
In office
March 4, 1843  April 3, 1848
Preceded byIsaac E. Holmes
Succeeded byDaniel Wallace
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Abbeville District
In office
November 26, 1832 – December 19, 1835
In office
November 27, 1826 – January 30, 1828
Personal details
Born1793
Ninety-Six District, South Carolina
DiedApril 3, 1848 (aged 5455)
Washington, D.C.
Resting placeColumbia, South Carolina
Political partyDemocratic
Professioncotton dealer
Military service
AllegianceUnited States United States of America
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1812–1815
Rank Lieutenant
Battles/warsWar of 1812

Early life and military service

Black was born on his father's plantation in the Ninety-Six District, near Abbeville, South Carolina. He attended the common schools on his father's plantation.

Black served in the army during the War of 1812. He was appointed a second lieutenant in the Eighth Infantry on March 12, 1812. He was promoted to first lieutenant on December 2, 1813. After the war, Black was honorably discharged (June 15, 1815).

Early career and a taste for politics

Soon after returning to civilian life, Black co-founded the Kings Mountain Iron Works, which was involved in the mining of iron ore in areas near present-day Cherokee Falls, South Carolina.

Black eventually moved to Georgia, settling in Savannah, where he engaged in the buying and selling of cotton. Black served as tax collector of Chatham County, Georgia for a time, before he returned to South Carolina.

Political career

This time, Black settled in Columbia, where he worked for a time as a cashier of the State Bank branch. He ran for, and twice won, a seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives, serving from 1826 to 1828; and again, 1832–1835.

Beginning in 1843, Black, a Democrat, was elected to three consecutive terms (the Twenty-eighth, Twenty-ninth, and Thirtieth) United States Congresses. Black was chairman of the Committee on the Militia during the Mexican–American War.

Death

Black served in Congress from March 4, 1843, until his death April 3, 1848 in Washington, D.C. while still in office. He is interred in the graveyard of the First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina. A cenotaph in his honor was erected at the Congressional Cemetery.

See also

References

  1. "Congress slaveowners", The Washington Post, 2022-01-27, retrieved 2022-01-31

Sources

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

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