On August 4, 1897, Henry Rucker was appointed as the Collector of Internal Revenue for Georgia by President William McKinley. This was a significant appointment because Rucker, an African American, was placed in a prominent federal position during the post-Reconstruction era, a time when racial discrimination and segregation were intensifying in the South.
Rucker’s tenure as collector was met with resistance from white Democrats, but he remained in office for several years, using his position to advocate for African American political and economic rights. His appointment was part of McKinley’s broader effort to secure Black political support in the South, despite increasing disenfranchisement efforts during that period.
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