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Alabama reconstruction era American politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexander H. Curtis (1829 – July 20, 1878) was an American politician, he served as a state legislator in the Alabama House of Representatives and the Alabama Senate during the Reconstruction era.[1]
Alexander H. Curtis | |
---|---|
Alabama House of Representatives | |
In office 1870–1872 | |
Alabama Senate | |
In office 1872–1874 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1829 Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
Died | July 20, 1878 48–49) Marion, Alabama, U.S. | (aged
Political party | Republican |
Curtis was born 1829, a slave, in Raleigh, North Carolina on E. Haywood's plantation, then was taken to Alabama when ten years old in 1839.[2] While young he worked as a servant and in a general store.[1]
As an adult he worked as a barber and in others trades in Marion, Alabama saving for his freedom.[2] By 1859 he had saved enough to be able to purchase his own freedom at the price of $2,000 after-which he left Alabama and moved to New York.[1]
After the Civil War he returned to Alabama and set up again as a barber head of a trade concern.[1]
He continued until 1875 when he was considered "out of business" even though he had been rated as "honest and reliable" by credit assessors.[1]
In 1867 he was one of nine former slaves, known as The Marion 9, that setup the Lincoln School of Marion.[3]
He also was one of the founders of Selma University and was described as an active member of the Second Baptist Church in Marion.[1]
Curtis represented Perry County, Alabama at the 1867 Constitutional Convention.[2]
He represented Perry County in the Alabama House of Representatives from 1870 to 1872 and then the Alabama Senate from 1872 to 1874.[1] He and other 1872 Alabama Senators were photographed on the capitol steps. The photograph is held by the Alabama Department of Archives and History.[4] He was the only African-American lawmaker to preside over the Alabama Senate during this era.[1]
He was also one of the county commissioners in 1874 and was a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1875.[1] He was accused along with Greene S. W. Lewis of being bigoted and attempting to rally the black majority to vote against the constitutional convention.[5]
He was also a delegate to the 1876 Republican National Convention,[6] and the 1878 Radical State Convention.[7]
He died Saturday July 20, 1878, after falling from his buggy while travelling the lower Marion road with his companion Nick Stephens.[8][9] He had been aspiring to run for Congress at the time of his death.[10]
Two of his sons became physicians, William P. Curtis of Saint Louis, Missouri, and James Webb Curtis of Chicago;[11] and his son Thomas Curtis was a dentist in Saint Louis.[1]
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