5 Days
Born: January 3, 1834 in Charleston, South Carolina
Died: August 17, 1882 in Charleston, South Carolina
United States Representative, 1873–1875
Republican from South Carolina
South Carolina’s first Black Lieutenant Governor, Alonzo Ransier had a reputation for fighting corruption which helped him win election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1872.
Two speeches survive that Ransier made on the House floor; both were in favor of the
Civil Rights Bill of 1875, which guaranteed both free Blacks and recently freed slaves
equal rights everywhere in the United States. A year later, the U.S. Supreme Court
overturned the Civil Rights Bill of 1875. He would return to Charleston and worked for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and later for the Charleston municipal government.
Sources: https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/galleries/alonzo-jacob-ransier
https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/ransier-alonzo-j-1834-1882/