On November 7, 1934, Arthur Wergs Mitchell made history by defeating Oscar DePriest in a Chicago election, becoming the first Black Democratic congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Key Facts About Arthur L. Mitchell:

• He was the first African American elected to Congress as a Democrat.
• His victory marked a shift in Black political alignment, as many African Americans were beginning to move from the Republican Party (which had been the party of Lincoln) to the Democratic Party during the New Deal era.
• He served four terms (1935–1943), advocating for civil rights and economic reforms.
• He famously filed a lawsuit against the Illinois Central Railroad for racial discrimination in its segregated accommodations, a case that reached the U.S. Supreme Court (Mitchell v. United States, 1941).

Mitchell’s election was significant in the changing political landscape of Black America and set the stage for future African American Democratic leaders.