George W. Barber (politician)

George W. Barber (1831 - 1870s) was a carpenter, farmer and state legislator who served in the South Carolina State Senate during the Reconstruction era from 1868 until 1872.[1]

George W. Barber
South Carolina State Senate
In office
1868–1872
Personal details
Born1831
South Carolina
Died1870s
Political partyRepublican

Biography

Barber was born enslaved in South Carolina in 1831.[1] He has been listed as a farmer[1] and a carpenter.[2]

He was elected to the South Carolina State Senate in 1868 and served until 1872 representing Fairfield County as a Republican.[3][1] He lost the nomination to run again for the senate in September 1872 with Sanders Ford standing in his place, he instead was put on the ticket to run for representative.[4]

He was also the commissioner of elections in 1870 for Fairfield along with N. G. Dunlap and Samuel Simpson.[5] The same year he was listed in the census as owning real estate worth $600 with an additional $150 worth of personal property.[1]

Barber was threatened by the Ku Klux Klan in May 1871 when they posted in the paper demands that he along with seven others resigned from office.[6] This caused him to temporarily leave his home in fear and move to Columbia, South Carolina before later returning.[1]

He was a delegate at the Radical State Convention in August 1872, representing Fairfield County along with L.W. Duvall and T. J. Minton.[7]

He continued in politics for a while and in August 1874 he was chair of a republican meeting in Winnsboro[8] and again chair in August 1875 for a meeting on the next election.[9] However by October 20, 1875 he had become "disgusted" with politics and returned to carpentry.[10]

His wife was listed in the 1880 United States census as being a widow, so he died sometime between October 1875 and June 1880.[1]

See also

References

  1. Foner, Eric (1 August 1996). Freedom's Lawmakers: A Directory of Black Officeholders During Reconstruction. LSU Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-8071-2082-8. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  2. "Senatorial Occupations and Professions". The Charleston Daily News. 21 December 1869. p. 3. Retrieved 22 September 2022.open access
  3. "The State Capital". The Charleston Daily News. 26 November 1868. p. 1. Retrieved 22 September 2022.open access
  4. "Representatives on the Judge Green ticket". The Charleston Daily Courier. 28 September 1872. p. 1. Retrieved 22 September 2022.open access
  5. "Proclamation for the elections". The Daily Phoenix. 20 August 1870. p. 2. Retrieved 22 September 2022.open access
  6. "KKK - General Orders, No 105". The Daily Phoenix. 2 May 1871. p. 2. Retrieved 22 September 2022.open access
  7. "Trouble in the Wigwam - The Radical Convention Refuses to Hear Senator Sawyer". The Charleston Daily News. 22 August 1872. p. 1. Retrieved 22 September 2022.open access
  8. "Senator White in Winnsboro". Yorkville Enquirer. 20 August 1874. p. 2. Retrieved 22 September 2022.open access
  9. "Meeting on the coming election". The Fairfield Herald. 11 August 1875. p. 3. Retrieved 22 September 2022.open access
  10. "G. W. Barber leaves politics - Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 22 September 2022.open access


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