List of African-American statewide elected officials
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Politics of the United States |
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/U.S._states_where_African_Americans_have_served_in_statewide_executive_office.svg/300px-U.S._states_where_African_Americans_have_served_in_statewide_executive_office.svg.png)
States where African-Americans have served as statewide executive officials:
Reconstruction Era African-American statewide officeholders (all Republican) 1868-1887
States which have only elected/appointed African-American Democrats as statewide officeholders (1963-present)
States which have only elected/appointed African-American Republicans as statewide officeholders (1963-present)
States which have elected/appointed African-Americans from both parties (1963-present)
This is a list of African Americans who have served in statewide elected executive offices in the United States, whether they were elected, succeeded or appointed to such elected office. These state constitutional officers have their duties and qualifications mandated in state constitutions. This list does not include those elected to serve in non-executive branches of government, such as justices of the state supreme courts or at-large members of the state legislatures. This list also excludes federal legislators, such as the two members of the United States Senate elected from each state or at-large members of the United States House of Representatives.
Governors[]
Denotes incumbent Governor
- Italics denotes acting Governor
Portrait | Name | Party | State | Term start | Term end | Notes |
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P. B. S. Pinchback (1837–1921) |
Republican | Louisiana | December 9, 1872 | January 13, 1873 | Elevated from lieutenant governor. Term ended. |
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Douglas Wilder[1] (born 1931) |
Democratic | Virginia | January 13, 1990 | January 15, 1994 | Term limited |
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Deval Patrick (born 1956) |
Democratic | Massachusetts | January 4, 2007 | January 8, 2015 | Retired |
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David Paterson (born 1954) |
Democratic | New York | March 17, 2008 | December 31, 2010 | Elevated to office from lieutenant governor. Retired |
Territorial Governors[]
Denotes incumbent Governor
- Italics denotes acting Governor
Portrait | Name | Party | Territory | Term start | Term end | Notes |
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Walter Washington (1915–2003) |
Democratic | District of Columbia | November 7, 1967 | January 2, 1979 | Appointed as Mayor-Commissioner before being elected in his own right Lost renomination |
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Marion Barry (1936–2014) |
Democratic | District of Columbia | January 2, 1979 | January 2, 1991 | Retired |
January 2, 1995 | January 2, 1999 | Retired | ||||
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Sharon Pratt (born 1944) |
Democratic | District of Columbia | January 2, 1991 | January 2, 1995 | Lost renomination |
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Anthony Williams (born 1951) |
Democratic | District of Columbia | January 2, 1999 | January 2, 2007 | Retired |
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Adrian Fenty (born 1970) |
Democratic | District of Columbia | January 2, 2007 | January 2, 2011 | Lost renomination |
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Vincent Gray (born 1942) |
Democratic | District of Columbia | January 2, 2011 | January 2, 2015 | Lost renomination |
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Muriel Bowser (born 1972) |
Democratic | District of Columbia | January 2, 2015 | present |
Lieutenant-Governors[]
Denotes incumbent lieutenant governor
- Italics denotes acting lieutenant governor
Portrait | Name | Party | State | Term start | Term end | Notes |
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Oscar Dunn (1826–1871) |
Republican | Louisiana | June 27, 1868 | November 22, 1871 | Died |
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Alonzo Ransier[2] (1834–1882) |
Republican | South Carolina | December 3, 1870 | December 7, 1872 | Retired to run successfully for South Carolina's 2nd congressional district |
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Alexander K. Davis[3] | Republican | Mississippi | November 30, 1871 | March 29, 1876 | Retired |
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P. B. S. Pinchback (1837–1921) |
Republican | Louisiana | December 6, 1871 | December 9, 1872 | Elevated to governor |
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Richard Gleaves (1819–1907) |
Republican | South Carolina | December 7, 1872 | December 14, 1876 | Lost reelection |
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Caesar Antoine (1836–1921) |
Republican | Louisiana | May 22, 1873 | April 24, 1877 | Lost reelection |
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Mervyn Dymally[4] (1926–2012) |
Democratic | California | January 6, 1975 | January 8, 1979 | Lost reelection |
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George Brown (1926–2006) |
Democratic | Colorado | January 14, 1975 | January 10, 1979 | Retired |
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Douglas Wilder (born 1931) |
Democratic | Virginia | January 18, 1986 | January 12, 1990 | Retired to run successfully for governor |
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Joe Rogers (1964–2013) |
Republican | Colorado | January 12, 1999 | January 14, 2003 | Retired |
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Jennette Bradley (born 1952) |
Republican | Ohio | January 13, 2003 | January 5, 2005 | Resigned to become Ohio Treasurer |
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Michael Steele[5] (born 1958) |
Republican | Maryland | January 15, 2003 | January 17, 2007 | Retired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senator of Maryland |
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David Paterson (born 1954) |
Democratic | New York | January 1, 2007 | March 17, 2008 | Elevated to governor |
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Anthony Brown (born 1961) |
Democratic | Maryland | January 17, 2007 | January 21, 2015 | Retired to run unsuccessfully for governor |
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Malcolm Smith (born 1956) |
Democratic | New York | January 7, 2009 | June 8, 2009 | Resigned |
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Jennifer Carroll (born 1959) |
Republican | Florida | January 4, 2011 | March 12, 2013 | Resigned |
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Boyd Rutherford (born 1957) |
Republican | Maryland | January 21, 2015 | present | |
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Jenean Hampton (born 1958) |
Republican | Kentucky | December 8, 2015 | December 9, 2019 | Retired |
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Justin Fairfax (born 1979) |
Democratic | Virginia | January 13, 2018 | January 15, 2022 | Retired to run unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor |
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Sheila Oliver (born 1952) |
Democratic | New Jersey | January 16, 2018 | present | |
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Garlin Gilchrist (born 1982) |
Democratic | Michigan | January 1, 2019 | present | |
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Mandela Barnes (born 1986) |
Democratic | Wisconsin | January 7, 2019 | present | |
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Juliana Stratton (born 1965) |
Democratic | Illinois | January 14, 2019 | present | |
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Mark Robinson (born 1968) |
Republican | North Carolina | January 9, 2021 | present | |
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Andrea Stewart-Cousins (born 1950) |
Democratic | New York | August 24, 2021 | September 9, 2021 | Retired |
Brian Benjamin (born 1976) |
Democratic | New York | September 9, 2021 | present | ||
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Winsome Sears (born 1964) |
Republican |
Virginia | January 15, 2022 | present |
Attorneys General[]
Denotes incumbent attorney general
- Italics denotes acting attorney general
Picture | Name | Party | State | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Edward Brooke (1919-2015) |
Republican | Massachusetts | January 3, 1963 | January 3, 1967 | Retired to run successfully for U.S. Senate from Massachusetts | [6] |
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Roland Burris (1937-present) |
Democratic | Illinois | January 14, 1991 | January 9, 1995 | Retired to run unsuccessfully for Governor of Illinois | [7] |
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Pamela Carter (1949-present) |
Democratic | Indiana | January 13, 1993 | January 16, 1997 | Retired | [8][9] |
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Thurbert Baker (1952-present) |
Democratic | Georgia | June 1, 1997 | January 10, 2011 | Retired to run unsuccessfully for Governor of Georgia | [10] |
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Karen Freeman-Wilson (1960-present) |
Democratic | Indiana | June 8, 2000 | January 14, 2001 | Lost reelection | [11] |
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Peter C. Harvey (1952-present) |
Democratic | New Jersey | June 16, 2003 | January 30, 2006 | Retired. | [12] |
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Kamala Harris (1964-present) |
Democratic | California | January 3, 2011 | January 3, 2017 | Retired to run successfully for U.S. Senate from California | [13] |
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Curtis Hill (1960-present) |
Republican | Indiana | January 9, 2017 | January 11, 2021 | Lost renomination | [14] |
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Letitia James (1958-present) |
Democratic | New York | January 1, 2019 | present | [15] | |
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Kwame Raoul (1964-present) |
Democratic | Illinois | January 14, 2019 | present | [16] | |
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Aaron Ford (1972-present) |
Democratic | Nevada | January 7, 2019 | present | [17] | |
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Keith Ellison (1963-present) |
Democratic | Minnesota | January 7, 2019 | present | [18] | |
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Daniel Cameron (1985-present) |
Republican | Kentucky | December 17, 2019 | present | Elected as Attorney General, but appointed early as acting Attorney by Governor Andy Beshear, the preceding state Attorney General who himself was elected Governor, and took office early. |
Territorial Attorneys General[]
Denotes incumbent attorney general
- Italics denotes acting attorney general
Portrait | Name | Party | Territory | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Karl Racine (1963-present) |
Democratic | District of Columbia | January 2, 2015 | present |
Secretaries of State[]
Denotes incumbent Secretary of State
- Italics denotes acting Secretary of State
Picture | Name | Party | State | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
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Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs (1821-1874) |
Republican | Florida | 1868 | 1872 | Appointed Superintendent of Public Instruction | |
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Pierre G. Deslonde | Republican | Louisiana | 1872 | 1876 | Retired | |
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James Lynch (1839–1872) |
Republican | Mississippi | 1869 | 1872 | Retired | |
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Hiram Revels (1827-1901) |
Republican | Mississippi | 1872 | 1873 | Retired | |
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Hannibal C. Carter | Republican | Mississippi | 1873 | 1873 | Retired | |
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Republican | Mississippi | 1873 | 1873 | Retired | ||
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James Hill | Republican | Mississippi | 1874 | 1878 | Retired | |
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Francis Cardozo (1836-1903) |
Republican | South Carolina | 1868 | 1872 | Elected State Treasurer | |
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Henry Hayne (b.c. 1840-???) |
Republican | South Carolina | 1872 | 1877 | Resigned | |
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Richard Austin (1913-2001) |
Democratic | Michigan | January 1, 1971 | January 1, 1995 | Lost re-election | [19] |
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Basil Paterson (1926-2014) |
Democratic | New York | January 1, 1979 | January 1, 1983 | Retired | [20] |
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Vel Phillips (1923-2018) |
Democratic | Wisconsin | January 3, 1979 | January 3, 1983 | Lost re-nomination | [21] |
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Jesse McCrary (1937-2007) |
Democratic | Florida | July 19, 1978 | January 2, 1979 | Retired | |
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Myra McDaniel (1932-2010) |
Democratic | Texas | August 6, 1984 | January 26, 1987 | Retired | [22] |
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Hannah Atkins (1923-2010) |
Democratic | Oklahoma | 1987 | 1991 | Retired | |
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Vikki Buckley (1948-1999) |
Republican | Colorado | 1994 | 1999 | Died | [23] |
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Lonna Hooks (?-) |
Republican | New Jersey | 1994 | 1998 | Retired | |
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DeForest Soaries (1951-) |
Republican | New Jersey | January 1, 1999 | January 1, 2002 | Retired | |
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Ken Blackwell (1948-) |
Republican | Ohio | January 8, 1999 | January 8, 2007 | Retired to run unsuccessfully for governor | |
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Jesse White (1934-) |
Democratic | Illinois | January 11, 1999 | present | ||
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Randy Daniels (1950-) |
Republican | New York | 2001 | 2005 | Retired | |
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Regena Thomas (?-) |
Democratic | New Jersey | 2002 | 2006 | Retired | |
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Nina Mitchell Wells (1950-) |
Democratic | New Jersey | January 19, 2006 | January 19, 2010 | Retired | |
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Robyn Crittenden (?-?) |
Republican | Georgia | November 8, 2018 | January 14, 2019 | Appointed by governor to fill predecessor's remaining term, retired | |
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Tahesha Way (1969-) |
Democratic | New Jersey | January 16, 2018 | present | ||
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Shirley Weber (1948-) |
Democratic | California | January 21, 2021 | present |
Labor Commissioners[]
Denotes incumbent Labor Commissioner
- Italics denotes acting Labor Commissioner
Picture | Name | Party | State | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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(1947-Present) |
Democratic | Georgia | 1990 | 1992 | Appointed by governor, resigned to serve on State Board of Education | |
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Mike Thurmond (1953-) |
Democratic | Georgia | January 11, 1999 | January 10, 2011 | Retired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate |
Auditors or Comptrollers[]
Denotes incumbent Auditor or Comptroller
- Italics denotes acting Auditor or Comptroller
Picture | Name | Party | State | Term start | Term end | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Edward McCabe (1850-1920) |
Republican | Kansas | January 8, 1883 | January 10, 1887 | Lost re-nomination |
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Roland Burris (1937-present) |
Democratic | Illinois | January 8, 1979 | January 14, 1991 | Retired to run successfully for Attorney General of Illinois |
Carl McCall (1935-) |
Democratic | New York | May 7, 1993 | December 31, 2002 | Retired to run unsuccessfully for Governor | |
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Ralph Campbell (1946-2011) |
Democratic | North Carolina | January 3, 1993 | January 4, 2005 | Lost re-election |
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Randy Brock (1943-) |
Republican | Vermont | January 3, 2005 | January 4, 2007 | Lost reelection |
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Dwayne Sawyer (1966-) |
Republican | Indiana | August 19, 2013 | December 15, 2013 | Resigned |
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Timothy DeFoor (1961-) |
Republican | Pennsylvania | January 19, 2022 | present |
Superintendents of Education[]
Denotes incumbent Superintendent
- Italics denotes acting Superintendent
Picture | Name | Party | State | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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(1832-1883) |
Republican | Louisiana | 1872 | 1874 | Lost reelection | |
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Thomas Cardozo (1838-1881) |
Republican | Mississippi | 1873 | 1875 | Lost reelection | |
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Joseph Corbin (1833-1911) |
Republican | Arkansas | 1873 | 1875 | Lost reelection | |
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Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs (1821-1874) |
Republican | Florida | 1872 | 1874 | Died | |
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Wilson Riles (1917-1999) |
Democratic | California | 1971 | 1983 | Lost reelection | |
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Doug Jamerson (1947-2001) |
Democratic | Florida | 1994 | 1995 | Lost election | |
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Patricia Willoughby (?-Present) |
Democratic | North Carolina | September 1, 2004 | August 23, 2005 | Retired | |
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Carolyn Stanford Taylor (1957-) |
Democratic | Wisconsin | January 7, 2019 | July 5, 2021 | Retired | |
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Tony Thurmond (1968-) |
Democratic | California | January 7, 2019 | present |
Treasurers[]
Denotes incumbent Treasurer
- Italics denotes acting Treasurer
Picture | Name | Party | State | Term start | Term end | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Antoine Dubuclet (1810-1887) |
Republican | Louisiana | 1868 | 1878 | Retired | |
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Francis Cardozo (1836-1903) |
Republican | South Carolina | August 1, 1872 | May 1, 1877 | Retired | |
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Gerald Lamb (1924-2014) |
Democratic | Connecticut | 1963 | 1970 | Retired | |
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Henry E. Parker (1928-2018) |
Democratic | Connecticut | 1974 | 1986 | Resigned | |
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Loren E. Monroe (1932-2019)[24] |
Republican | Michigan | 1978 | 1982 | Retired | |
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James B. Lewis (1947-) |
Democratic | New Mexico | 1985 | 1990 | Retired | |
2007 | 2015 | Retired | |||||
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Jim Hill (1947-) |
Democratic | Oregon | January 1, 1993 | January 1, 2001 | Retired | |
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Richard Dixon (1938-2012) |
Democratic | Maryland | 1996 | 2002 | Retired | |
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Denise Nappier (1951-) |
Democratic | Connecticut | January 3, 1999 | January 9, 2019 | Retired | |
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Jennette Bradley (1952-) |
Republican | Ohio | January 13, 2005 | January 5, 2007 | Lost renomination | |
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(?-present) |
Democratic | New Jersey | September 2007 | January 2008 | acting | |
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Velda Jones-Potter (?-present) |
Democratic | Delaware | January 1, 2009 | January 1, 2011 | Lost renomination | |
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Kevin Boyce (1971-present) |
Democratic | Ohio | January 7, 2009 | January 9, 2011 | Lost reelection | |
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Chip Flowers (1974-) |
Democratic | Delaware | January 1, 2011 | January 1, 2015 | Retired | |
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Shawn Wooden |
Democratic | Connecticut | January 3, 2019 | present | Incumbent |
Public Utilities/Railroad Commissioners[]
Denotes incumbent Public Utilities Commissioner
- Italics denotes acting Public Utilities Commissioner
Picture | Name | Party | State | Term start | Term end | Notes |
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Michael L. Williams (1953-) |
Republican | Texas | January 3, 1999 | March 31, 2011 | Resigned |
References[]
- ^ Previously served as lieutenant governor.
- ^ Later served as U.S. Representative from South Carolina's 2nd congressional district.
- ^ "Not Even Past: Social Vulnerability and the Legacy of Redlining".
- ^ Later served as U.S. Representative from California's 31st congressional district.
- ^ Later served as Chair of the Republican National Committee.
- ^ "The Honorable Edward Brooke's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
- ^ "BURRIS , Roland | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
- ^ Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 67, p. 12.
- ^ Jennifer M. York, Who's Who Among African Americans. Gale, 2003.
- ^ "Thurbert Baker's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Karen M. Freeman-Wilson".
- ^ "The Honorable Peter C. Harvey, '79". www.alumni.morgan.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
- ^ "13 Trailblazing Facts About Kamala Harris". mentalfloss.com. 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
- ^ Walker, Kayla (13 November 2018). "Curtis Hill Named Vice Chair of GOP Attorneys General Assoc". Nuvo. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Mays, Jeffery C. (31 December 2018). "N.Y.'s New Attorney General Is Targeting Trump. Will Judges See a 'Political Vendetta?'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
- ^ "Illinois Attorney General Democratic nominee: Kwame Raoul". Chicago Sun-Times. 14 October 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Lockhead, Colton (14 November 2018). "Aaron Ford setting priorities for his time as Nevada attorney general". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Montemayor, Stephen (7 January 2019). "Keith Ellison ushers in new era for Minnesota Attorney General's Office". Star Tribune. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ "MSU Libraries: Richard H. Austin".
- ^ "Basil Paterson dead, trailblazing NY politician and former Gov. David Paterson's father was 87". Newsday. 2010-11-02. Retrieved 2014-04-17.
- ^ "Pioneering civil rights leader Vel Phillips dies". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. April 17, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ "Myra McDaniel". The HistoryMakers. The HistoryMakers. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
- ^ "Victoria Buckley; Colorado Secretary of State, GOP Star". The Los Angeles Times. 17 July 1999. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ "Loren Monroe, first black State Treasurer of Michigan, dead at 87". 4 June 2019.
Categories:
- State constitutional officers of the United States
- African-American politicians