Thomas M. Allen was a Baptist preacher who served as a representative in the

Georgia Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly el ...

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 African American. He was elected in the 1868, representing Jasper county as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. Allen escaped assassination by the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...

after they murdered his brother-in-law by mistake during their attempt on his life.

References

African-American state legislators in Georgia (U.S. state) Original 33 African-American politicians during the Reconstruction Era Georgia (U.S. state) Republicans 19th-century American politicians Victims of the Ku Klux Klan Year of birth missing Year of death missing Ku Klux Klan in Georgia (U.S. state) {{GeorgiaUS-politician-stub