From Slave to State Legislator: John W. E. Thomas, Illinois' First African American Lawmaker

Copyright, Dedication

Copyright © 2012 by the Board of Trustees, Southern Illinois University All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Frontispiece: The earliest known photograph of John W. E. Thomas, taken in 1877 in Springfield during his first term as a state representative. Courtesy of Virginia State University Archives, Luther P. Jackson Papers, box 75. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Joens, David A., 1961– From slave to state legislator : John W. E. Thomas, Illinois’ first African American lawmaker / David A. Joens. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8093-3058-4 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8093-3058-X (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-8093-3060-7 (ebook) ISBN-10: 0-8093-3060-1 (ebook) 1. Thomas, John W. E. (John William Edinburgh), 1847–1899. 2. African American legislators—Illinois— Biography. 3. Legislators—Illinois—Biography. 4. Illinois—Politics and government—1865–1950. 5. Illinois—Race relations—History—19th century. I. Title. F546.T45J64 2012 328.73'092—dc23 [B] 2011017313 Printed on recycled paper. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1992. To my wife, Mona, and my son, Benjamin. Without their patience, understanding, and support, this would never have been done. ...