James T. Rapier

James Thomas Rapier (November 13, 1837 – May 31, 1883) was an attorney, a planter and a politician; elected as a United States Representative from Alabama, he served from 1873 until 1875. Born free, he was educated in Canada and Scotland before being admitted to the bar.

After the American Civil War, he became a national figure in the Republican Party. He was one of three blacks elected as congressmen from Alabama during Reconstruction together with Jeremiah Haralson and Benjamin S. Turner. He was one of seven blacks serving in the 43rd Congress. They each testified in 1874 for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which guaranteed access to accommodations.

Early life and education

James T. Rapier was born free in 1837 in Florence, Alabama to John H. Rapier, a prosperous local barber, and his wife, who were established free people of color. As a youth, he went to Nashville, Tennessee to attend an academy for high school, and lived with his grandmother, an enslaved clothes cleaner.