"In total, 153 African Americans have served in Congress. This total includes
143 African Americans (137 Representatives and 6 Delegates) elected only to the
House of Representatives;
9 African Americans elected or appointed only to the Senate; and
1 African American who has served in both chambers.
The first African American Members, Senator Hiram Revels of Mississippi and Representative
Joseph Rainey of South Carolina, both took the oath of office in 1870. These first two Members
were among the 22 African American Members (2 in the Senate, 20 in the House) that began their
service in the period of time after the Civil War but prior to the start of the 20th Century. After
these first 22, the presence of African Americans in the Membership of Congress was not
continuous and there were subsequent periods in both chambers with no African American
Members..."
African Americans in Congress
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