ham Montgomery

Davidson county, Tennessee, sent two colored men to the Legislature.
The first colored member of the Legislature was Sampson W. Keeble from
71-73. From 77-79 the colored member was Thomas A. Sykes. Both of
these were representatives. Tennessee never had any colored senators.
Sampson W. Keeble was a native of Tennessee. Thomas A. Sykes was a
native of North Carolina and had been a member of the North Carolina
legislature.[31]

Captain James H. Sumner, of Davidson County, was elected a door-keeper
of the House of Representatives for 1867-69. He was afterwards
appointed captain of a Militia Company which rendered the State
valuable service in putting down the Ku-Klux. Later by act of the
Legislature a committee was authorized for Nashville consisting of
three persons to audit claims against the State for destruction of
property by soldiers of the Confederates and Federal armies during the
war. Governor Brownlow appointed on this commission James H. Sumner, a
white man named Lassiter, and J.C. Napier. They examined claims
amounting to millions of dollars, some of which were afterwards paid
and others rejected. There were other colored men on such commissions
in other parts of the state whose names I do not now recall.

Haywood county first sent Samuel A. McElwee. He served from 79-83. The
same county afterwards sent Rev. D.F. Rivers who is now pastor of the
Berean Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Rev. Rivers defeated the
father of a very popular white girl and she met him in the street and
spat in his face. McElwee made a very active member and was highly
respected by all. He was a graduate of Fisk University and the law
department of Walden University.

Weakley County sent John W. Boyd who served two or three terms in the
legislature. He ran for the senate but was defeated.

Perhaps there was one from Hamilton county or Knox county.

Shelby county sent quite a delegation of colored men from time to
time. Among them were T.F. Cassells and I.F. Norris, who is still
living in North Dakota. Cassells was a lawyer, educated at Oberlin.

Mr. Norris was a successful business man of Memphis, Mr. Keeble was a
barber in Nashville.

Mr. Sykes was Internal Revenue Collector in Nashville and came there
with high revenue officials from North Carolina. He entered politics
and was quite influential and finally died at Nashville.

Keeble was of a family highly respected and of very high standing in
Nashvil