James Sidney Hinton (December 25, 1834 – November 6, 1892) was a Civil War veteran and Republican politician, the first African American to hold state office in Indiana and the first African American to serve in the Indiana state legislature. Born in Raleigh, North Carolina to parents who were

free people of color In the context of the history of slavery in the Americas, free people of color (French: ''gens de couleur libres''; Spanish: ''gente de color libre'') were primarily people of mixed African, European, and Native American descent who were not ...

, he moved with them as a youth to Indiana. Hinton started working part-time as a barber while attending school. Later he became involved with politics and the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. A veteran of the American Civil War, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the

United States Colored Troops The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were regiments in the United States Army composed primarily of African-American (colored) soldiers, although members of other minority groups also served within the units. They were first recruited during ...

. He became active in postwar politics, serving as a trustee on the Wabash and Erie Canal, and in 1880 being elected to the State House.

Early life and education

Hinton was born in 1834 to John Cooper Hinton and Hannah Mitchell Hinton,

in Raleigh, North Carolina. His father was a successful builder of

skylight A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes. History Open ...

s. In 1848 the family moved to

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

. There Hinton began to work part-time as a barber, while attending a subscription school organized by the local African-American community for four years. He next attended a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

high school in Hartford in

Vigo County Vigo ( , , , ) is a city and municipality in the province of Pontevedra, within the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, it sits on the southern shore of an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, the ...

for two years.

John R. Gregg John Richard Gregg (born September 6, 1954) is an American politician, businessman and attorney who served as the 85th and longest-serving Democratic speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives from 1996 to 2003. He served in the Indiana Ho ...

, "Standing with Black trailblazer John R. Hinton", in '' Indianapolis Recorder'' (Feb. 23, 2012), available athttp://www.indianapolisrecorder.com/opinion/article_05b65d42-5e36-11e1-a4a4-0019bb2963f4.html Hinton later attended the Union Literary Institute in Union City, Indiana (known in some sources as the "Greenville Institute" or "Darke County Seminary"). The Institute was located within the

Greenville Settlement Greenville is the name of several places: Canada * Laxgalts'ap, British Columbia, formerly named Greenville * Greenville, Nova Scotia, in Yarmouth County *Greenville Station, Nova Scotia, in Cumberland County * Lower Greenville, Nova Scotia, in C ...

which straddled the Indiana-Ohio state line.

Hiram Revels Hiram Rhodes Revels (September 27, 1827Different sources list his birth year as either 1827 or 1822. – January 16, 1901) was an American Republican Party (United States), Republican politician, minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Chur ...

, also from a free family, who later became a politician and would be elected as the first African-American United States Senator, was among his classmates. In 1859, Hinton was elected Grand Master of the Indiana lodge of the

Prince Hall Masons Prince Hall Freemasonry is a branch of North American Freemasonry for African Americans founded by Prince Hall on September 29, 1784. There are two main branches of Prince Hall Freemasonry: the independent State Prince Hall Grand Lodges, most of ...

. At the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, Hinton sought to enlist in the Union Army in Indiana but was first turned away because of his race. In 1863, the United States opened the Army to African-American volunteers. Hinton enlisted and was commissioned as a lieutenant. He became a recruiting officer for various Union regiments of the US Colored Troops, including the

54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The unit was the second African-American regiment, following the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry ...

55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment The 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was the sister regiment of the renowned Massachusetts 54th Volunteers during the latter half of the American Civil War. The enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation by United States President Abraham L ...

and

28th Indiana Infantry Regiment (Colored) The 28th United States Colored Infantry, also called the 28th Indiana Infantry (Colored), 1 was an African American infantry regiment from the state of Indiana that fought in the American Civil War. History On November 30, 1863, the United States ...

Move to state capital and marriage

In 1862, Hinton moved to

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, the state capital. He lived and worked here for the rest of his life. He set up a real estate business. Here he also married Eliza J. Mitchell.

Political career

After the Civil War, Hinton became known as a powerful Republican campaigner, speaking in numerous states. His rise in political status was propelled by his strong ties to a community network through the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Masons. In 1872, Hinton was elected as an at-large delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

. He was one of only two African-American delegates there. From 1874 to 1878, Hinton served as a trustee of the Wabash and Erie Canal, becoming Indiana's first African-American holder of statewide office. In 1880, Hinton was elected to represent Marion County in the Indiana State House. He served one term, being defeated in the next Republican primary by Samuel A. Elbert. Elbert was also African American and failed to win the general election. Hinton remained politically active after his defeat. In 1892, after giving a speech in support of the Republican campaign in Brazil, Indiana, Hinton collapsed and died.

Legacy

Hinton is buried in the historic Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. In 2014, a bust of Hinton was unveiled at the Indiana State Capitol, where it stands on the second floor alongside the bust of U.S. Representative Julia Carson as part of a permanent Black history display. Both sculptures are the work of Jon Hair.

References

External links

"James Sidney Hinton: Politician and legislator"
in ''Encyclopedia of Indianopolis'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hinton, James Sidney African-American state legislators in Indiana 1834 births 1892 deaths Politicians from Raleigh, North Carolina Politicians from Indianapolis Republican Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians People of Indiana in the American Civil War 19th-century African-American politicians