On December 6, 1869, James H. Harris of North Carolina was elected President of the National Convention of Colored Men, a significant assembly dedicated to advocating for African American rights during the Reconstruction era.

James H. Harris (1832–1891) was a prominent African American politician and educator in North Carolina. Born in Granville County, he pursued education at Oberlin College in Ohio and later worked as a teacher for the New England Freedmen’s Aid Society. ?

Harris played a pivotal role in North Carolina’s political landscape during Reconstruction. He was a charter member of the state’s Republican Party and served in various capacities, including as a delegate to the 1868 constitutional convention, a state legislator in both the House (1868–1870, 1883) and Senate (1872–1874), and as a Raleigh city alderman. ?

His leadership extended to national platforms, exemplified by his presidency of the 1869 National Convention of Colored Men, where he led discussions and initiatives aimed at securing equal rights for African Americans. ?

Harris’s dedication to education, civil rights, and political activism left a lasting impact on both North Carolina and the broader struggle for African American equality in the United States.