John Carraway (1834 - 1871) was a tailor, seaman, civil rights activist, and politician in the United States. In

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

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 served as a delegate to the 1867 Alabama Constitutional Convention. He also served on

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

's city council, and in the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency contai ...

. He was born 1834 the son of a plantation owner in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and one of his slaves. He was emancipated in his father's will. He left Mobile for

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

in the 1850s. He campaigned in New York for voting rights for African Americans.Freedom's Lawmakers by Eric Foner, Louisiana State University Press (1996) page 41 He served in the Union Army as part of 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 ...

under

Robert Gould Shaw Robert Gould Shaw (October 10, 1837 – July 18, 1863) was an American officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Born into a prominent Boston Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist family, he accepted command of the firs ...

during 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 ...

. In the Alabama House he was a political ally but personal rival of Creole legislator Ovid Gregory. He represented Mobile at the state's 1867 Constitutional Convention, served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 1868 to 1870, and served on the Mobile City Council in 1869 and 1870. At the convention he spoke in opposition to segregation and opposed a ban on marriages between blacks and whites. He also proposed life imprisonment for any white men cohabiting with black women. He was a rival of Lawrence S. Berry.

Jeremiah Haralson Jeremiah Haralson (April 1, 1846 – 1916?), was a politician from Alabama who served as a state legislator and was among the first ten African-American United States Congressmen. Born into slavery in Columbus, Georgia, Haralson became self-educ ...

accused him of taking a bribe from railroad interests.https://books.google.com/books?id=vaRPcxvs45IC&pg=PA79&dq=lawrence+s.+berry&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiZ0P3N6uD0AhVXTTABHTH5CNYQ6AF6BAgIEAM page 169

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carraway, John 1834 births 1871 deaths Members of the Alabama House of Representatives

See also

References