African Americans have served in state legislatures, with several interruptions, since Alexander Twilight was elected to the Vermont lower house in 1836. Representation increased during the Reconstruction era, plummeted during the ensuing decades, and rose again during the 1950s and 1960s with the civil rights movement. The last state to elect its first African-American state legislator was North Dakota in 2022.
Nationwide
LegislatorImageLegislative achievementSeat heldTook officeLeft officePartyRefMathias de Sousa1st African-American man elected to any state legislatureGeneral Assembly Upper House1641?N/AJohn R. Lynch1st African-American man to serve as speaker of any state lower houseMississippi's 6th District (Created by State Legislature)18731883RepublicanMinnie Buckingham Harper1st African-American woman to serve in any state legislatureRep. from Keystone, West Virginia19281930Crystal Bird Fauset 1st African-American woman elected to any state legislature18th State House District of Pennsylvania19381940Democratic Cora Brown1st African-American woman elected (rather than appointed to a state senateMichigan State Senate from 2nd & 3rd District19531956DemocraticWilliam Owen Bush1st African-American man elected to any state Legislature on the West CoastFirst sitting of the Washington House of Representatives18891895RepublicanKaren Bass1st African-American woman to serve as speaker of any state lower houseCalifornia State Assembly from the 47th District20042010DemocraticAndrea Stewart-Cousins1st African-American woman to serve as speaker of any state upper houseNew York Senate from the 35th District20072019–PresentPeter Groff1st bicameral state legislature to have both chambers headed simultaneously by African AmericansColorado Senate from the 33rd District20032009DemocraticTerrance Carroll Colorado Speaker of the House, 7th District2009/20032011
Alabama
LegislatorLegislative AchievementSeat HeldTook officeLeft OfficePartyRefBenjamin F. Royal1st African-American man elected to the Alabama Senate 1868Sundra Escott-Russell1st African-American woman elected to the Alabama Senate1990 Jeremiah Haralson1st African-American man elected to the Alabama House of Representatives1870Louphenia Thomas1st African-American woman elected to the Alabama House of Representatives1977
Alaska
LegislatorLegislative AchievementSeat HeldTook officeLeft OfficePartyRefBlanche McSmith1st African-American woman to serve in the Alaska House of Representatives (appointed, not elected) 1959 1962 Democrat Bettye Davis 1st African-American woman elected to the Alaska House of Representatives 1990 1996 Democrat Bettye Davis1st African-American woman elected to the Alaska Senate 2000 2013 Democrat Willard L. Bowman1st African-American man elected to the Alaska House of Representatives 1972David S. Wilson1st African-American man elected to the Alaska Senate 2017
Arkansas
LegislatorLegislative AchievementSeat HeldTook officeLeft OfficePartyRefWilliam Henry Grey, James T. White, Anderson Louis Rush, Richard R. Samuels, James W. Mason, and Monroe E. Hawkins1st African-American men to serve in the Arkansas House of Representatives 1868James W. Mason1st African-American man elected to the Arkansas Senate 1869Jerry Jewell1st African-American man elected to the Arkansas Senate since Reconstruction 1972Richard Mays, William Townsend, Henry Wilkins III1st African-American men elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives since Reconstruction 1972 Irma Hunter Brown1st African-American woman elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives 1981 1998 Democrat Irma Hunter Brown1st African-American woman elected to the Arkansas Senate 2003 2008 Democrat
Arizona
LegislatorLegislative AchievementSeat HeldTook officeLeft OfficePartyRefHayzel Burton Daniels and Carl Sims1st African-American men elected to the Arizona House of Representatives 1951Ethel Maynard1st African-American woman elected to the Arizona House of Representatives 1967 1972 Democrat Cloves Campbell Sr.1st African-American man elected to the Arizona State Senate 1966Carolyn Walker1st African-American woman elected to the Arizona State Senate District 23 1987 1991 Democrat
California LegislatorLegislative AchievementSeat HeldTook officeLeft OfficePartyRefFrederick Madison Roberts1st African-American man elected to the California State Assembly 1918Yvonne Brathwaite Burke1st African-American woman in the California State Assembly 63rd District 1967 1972 Democrat Mervyn Dymally1st African-American man elected to the California Senate 1967Diane E. Watson1st African-American woman elected to the California Senate 1978 1998 Democrat Willie Lewis Brown, Jr.1st African-American man elected speaker of the California State Assembly 1980Karen Bass1st African-American woman elected Speaker of the California State Assembly 2008
Colorado LegislatorLegislative AchievementSeat HeldTook officeLeft OfficePartyRefJohn T. Gunnell1st African-American man elected to the Colorado House of Representatives 1881Gloria Tanner1st African-American woman elected to the Colorado Senate 1994George L. Brown1st African-American man elected to the Colorado Senate 1957Terrance Carroll1st African-American Speaker of the House 2009Peter Groff1st African-American President of the Senate 2008Jamie Jackson1st African-American woman appointed to the Colorado House of Representatives2025
Connecticut LegislatorLegislative AchievementSeat HeldTook officeLeft OfficePartyRefWilfred X. Johnson1st African-American man elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives 1958Margaret E. Morton1st African-American woman elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives 1973Boce W. Barlow Jr.1st African-American man elected to the Connecticut State Senate 1966Margaret E. Morton1st African-American woman elected to the Connecticut State Senate 1981
Delaware LegislatorLegislative AchievementSeat HeldTook officeLeft OfficePartyRefWilliam J. Winchester1st African-American man elected to the Delaware House of Representatives 1948Herman Holloway1st African-American man elected to the Delaware Senate 1963Henrietta R. Johnson1st African-American woman elected to the Delaware House of Representatives 1970Margaret Rose Henry1st African-American woman elected to the Delaware Senate 1994
Florida first African-American man elected to the Florida House of Representatives since Reconstruction: Joe Lang Kershaw (1968) first African-American woman elected to the Florida House of Representatives: Gwen Cherry (1970) first African-American woman elected to the Florida Senate: Carrie Meek (1980) first African-American man elected to the Florida Senate: Arnett Girardeau (1982)
Georgia first 33 African-American legislators in Georgia: see Original 33 (1868) first African-American woman elected to the Georgia House of Representatives: Grace Towns Hamilton (1966) first African-American woman elected to the Georgia State Senate: Nadine Thomas (1992) first African-American man elected to the Georgia State Senate since Reconstruction: Leroy Johnson (1963) first African-American man to serve as Majority Leader of the Georgia State Senate: Charles Walker (1996)
Hawaii first African-American man elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives and Hawaii Senate: Charles Campbell (1976; 1978) first African-American woman elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives: Helene Hale (2000)
Idaho first African-American woman elected to the Idaho House of Representatives: Cherie Buckner-Webb (2010) first African-American woman elected to the Idaho Senate: Cherie Buckner-Webb (2012) first African-American man elected to the Idaho House of Representatives: Chris Mathias (2020)
Illinois first African-American man elected to the Illinois General Assembly: John W. E. Thomas (1876) first African-American man elected to the Illinois Senate: Adelbert H. Roberts (1924) first African-American woman elected to the Illinois General Assembly: Floy Clements (1958) first African-American woman elected to the Illinois Senate: Earlean Collins (1977)
Indiana first African-American man elected to the Indiana House of Representatives: James Sidney Hinton (1880)Indiana Black History Public Art Legacy Project first African-American man elected to the Indiana Senate: Robert Brokenburr (1940) first African-American woman elected to the Indiana House of Representatives: Daisy Riley Lloyd (1964) first African-American woman elected to the Indiana Senate: Julia Carson (1977)
Iowa first African-American woman elected to the Iowa House of Representatives: Willie Stevenson Glanton (1964) first African-American man elected to the Iowa House of Representatives: James H. Jackson (1964) first African American elected to the Iowa Senate: Thomas Mann (1983)
Kansas first African-American man elected to the Kansas House of Representatives: Alfred Fairfax (1888) first African-American woman elected to the Kansas House of Representatives: Barbara Ballard (1993) first African-American men elected to the Kansas Senate: Curtis McClinton Sr. and George Haley (1960) first African-American woman elected to the Kansas Senate: Oletha Faust-Goudeau (2008)
Kentucky first African-American man elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives: Charles W. Anderson (1935) first African-American woman elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives: Amelia Tucker (1961) first African-American woman elected to the Kentucky Senate: Georgia Davis Powers (1967) first African-American man elected to the Kentucky Senate: Gerald Neal (1988)
Louisiana first African-American man elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives since Reconstruction: Ernest Nathan Morial (1969) first African-American woman elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives: Dorothy Mae Taylor (1971) first African-American man elected to the Louisiana Senate since Reconstruction: Sidney Barthelemy (1976) first African-American woman elected to the Louisiana Senate: Diana Bajoie (1991)
Maine first African-American man elected to the Maine House of Representatives: Gerald Talbot (1972) first African-American man elected to the Maine Senate: John Jenkins (1996) first African-American woman elected to the Maine House of Representatives: Rachel Talbot Ross (2016) first African-American woman elected to the Maine Senate: Jill Duson (2022) first African-American woman elected speaker of the Maine House of Representatives: Rachel Talbot Ross (2022)
Maryland first African-American man elected to the Maryland Assembly: Mathias de Sousa (1641) first African-American man elected to the Maryland Senate: Harry A. Cole (1954) first African-American woman elected to the Maryland House of Delegates: Irma George Dixon (1958) first African-American woman elected to the Maryland Senate: Verda F. Welcome (1958)
Massachusetts first African-American men elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives: Edward G. Walker and Charles Lewis Mitchell (1866) first African-American woman elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives: Doris Bunte (1973) first African-American man elected to the Massachusetts Senate: Bill Owens (1975) first African-American woman elected to the Massachusetts Senate: Dianne Wilkerson (1993)
Michigan first African-American man elected to Michigan House of Representatives: William Webb Ferguson (1893) first African-American man elected to Michigan Senate: Charles A. Roxborough (1930) first African-American woman elected to the Michigan House of Representatives: Charline White (1950) first African-American woman elected to Michigan Senate: Cora Brown (1952)
Minnesota first African-American man elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives: John Francis Wheaton (1898) first African-American man elected to the Minnesota Senate: B. Robert Lewis (1972) first African-American woman elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives: Neva Walker (2001)