George H. White 1852–1918
Tarboro, Edgecombe County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
George H. White 1852 1918. Represented the state's "Black Second" district, U.S. House, 1897-1901. Last black Southerner in Congress for 72 years. Lived two blocks east.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
George H. White represented North Carolina's majority-Black "Second District" in the U.S. House from 1897 to 1901, a seat carved out during Reconstruction that sent several Black congressmen to Washington. When White left office, no Black Southerner would sit in Congress again for 72 years, as disfranchisement and Jim Crow closed the door. He lived two blocks east of this spot.
Why it matters
His departure marks the end of first-era Black congressional representation in the South and the onset of decades of political exclusion.
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Related people
- · George H. White
Related events
- · Reconstruction
- · Disfranchisement
Themes & tags
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