Edward Hill was an American politician and

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

in Mississippi during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

. He was the first Black person to hold a federal office in the area he lived in, and the '' Davenport Morning Star'' newspaper called him a "leader of Republican politics in Mississippi." After he retired as postmaster, it took around 27 years before another Black person held a federal office in the area.

Career

Hill began working as a politician around 1867. On May 3, 1869, after Reconstruction laws went into effect, Hill was appointed to the Board of Supervisors in

Hinds County, Mississippi Hinds County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. With its county seats (Raymond and the state's capital, Jackson), Hinds is the most populous county in Mississippi with a 2020 census population of 227,742 residents. Hinds Coun ...

, assigned to the Raymond District. According to the Mississippi Historical Society, the Board of Supervisors during this time held "more importance to the county than... any other officials." Hill continued to be a Supervisor until at least 1871. On June 6, 1870, Hill became the postmaster of the

Raymond Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

post office in Mississippi, working in the position until 1874. In May 1874, Margaret "Maggie" Pierson took over as postmaster. After Hill left the position, only white people held federal positions in Raymond, up until 1901, when George C. Granberry was appointed as postmaster.

Personal life and death

Hill was married to Alice Hill. Before the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, he was said to have owned slaves. According to the ''Davenport Morning Star'', he did not know how to read or write. Hill died in late May or early June in 1885. His wife survived him, passing away in 1890.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Edward 1885 deaths Mississippi postmasters County supervisors in Mississippi African-American people in Mississippi politics African-American politicians during the Reconstruction Era