Jeremiah Haralson
Jeremiah Haralson (April 1, 1846 – unknown) was a politician from Alabama who served as a state legislator and was among the first ten African-American United States Congressmen. Born into slavery in Columbus, Georgia, Haralson became self-educated while enslaved in Selma, Alabama. He was a leader among freedmen after the American Civil War.
Jeremiah Haralson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877 | |
| Preceded by | Frederick George Bromberg |
| Succeeded by | James T. Jones |
| Member of the Alabama Senate from the 21st district | |
| In office 1872–1875 | |
| Member of the Alabama House of Representatives from Dallas County | |
| In office 1870–1872 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 1, 1846 near Columbus, Georgia |
| Died | after 1895 (aged 48–49) |
| Political party | Republican |
He became active in politics, being elected as a Republican to the State House and the State Senate from Dallas County, Alabama. He was elected in 1874 and served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Alabama's 1st congressional district in the 44th United States Congress.
The conservative Democrats gained control of the state legislature and gerrymandered several districts. In 1876 Haralson was forced to run from the changed Alabama's 4th congressional district, the only one still having a majority-black population. Running as an independent against the Republican candidate, James T. Rapier, Haralson essentially split the Republican vote. Dallas County Sheriff Charles M. Shelley, a Democrat, won the seat with 38% of the vote.
Although not successful in gaining elective office again, Haralson was appointed to Republican patronage positions in the Customs Service, Department of Interior, and the Pension Bureau in Washington, DC.
After 1884, he returned to the South. He was convicted of pension fraud in 1894. He appeared to vanish from the historical record upon imprisonment in New York.