On this date in 1869, Dr. J.D. Harris, an African American physician, ran for lieutenant governor of Virginia on the Republican ticket. Despite his efforts, he was defeated by John Francis Lewis, who received 120,068 votes to Harris’s 99,600.
ENCYCLOPEDIAVIRGINIA.ORG

This election was significant as it was the first in which African American men were eligible to vote in Virginia. The Republican Party, which had been instrumental in the abolition of slavery, nominated Harris to run for lieutenant governor.
EMERGINGCIVILWAR.COM

The election results highlighted the challenges African American candidates faced during the Reconstruction era, even with the legal right to vote. Despite the defeat, Harris’s candidacy was a notable milestone in the political participation of African Americans in the post-Civil War United States.