African American Political History Negro Legislators of Texas by J Mason Brewer Documenting Reconstruction Leadership 1935

Black Texas Legislators

First Edition

Brewer, John Mason. Negro Legislators of Texas and Their Descendants documents African American political leadership during Reconstruction and preserves biographical accounts of Black legislators who held office in Texas following the Civil War. Published in 1935, the work situates these individuals within the broader transformation of Southern governance during Reconstruction and traces the subsequent dismantling of Black political participation through disenfranchisement and segregation. Brewer, an early African American historian and folklorist and the first Black member of the Texas Folklore Society, compiled this volume as part of a broader effort to document African American contributions to regional and national history. The book provides detailed sketches of legislators’ lives, their roles in state government, and their communities, offering a structured record of Black political presence in Texas at a time when such histories were largely excluded from mainstream scholarship.

Brewer, John Mason. Negro Legislators of Texas. Dallas: Mathis Publishing Co., 1935.Single volume. 134 pages. Illustrated with five photographic plates, including portraits of legislators, family members, and community figures, as well as a map identifying Texas counties represented by Black legislators. Original green cloth binding with gilt titles to spine and front cover. Ownership inscription of “W. H. Burnett, Terrell, Texas” on front pastedown. The photographic material provides visual documentation that complements the biographical narratives, reinforcing the book’s function as both historical record and commemorative work.

Issued during a period when African American historiography was being actively developed outside dominant academic institutions, Brewer’s work contributes to the preservation of Reconstruction-era political memory and the documentation of Black civic leadership in the South. By recording both the achievements of these legislators and the subsequent erosion of their political rights, the volume supports research into Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the long history of Black political participation and suppression. Spine ends bumped with some fading and rubbing to gilt; boards with light scuffing and discoloration; text block firm with minor toning; overall very good condition.

Item #21276

Price: $885.00