Edward Junius Black (October 30, 1806 – September 1, 1846) was a slave owner,[1]United States Representative and lawyer fromGeorgia. He was born in Beaufort District, South Carolina, a son of William Black and Sarah Hanson Reid. His son was U.S. RepresentativeGeorge Robison Black.[2]
William Black, the father, was a planter in theBeaufort district, South Carolina but after suffering a serious financial setback, he moved the family to theBarnwell district where he pursued his planting interests. At about age eight, Edward was sent to live with his mother's brother,Robert R. Reid, a successful attorney of Augusta, Georgia.[2]
Edward J. Black graduated from theRichmond Academy inAugusta, Georgia, where he served as secretary of the academy's St. Cecilia Society.[3] He never attended college. He studied law under his uncle, gained admittance to the state bar at the age of 21, and began practicing law in Augusta. In 1826, he entered into a law partnership with his uncle,Robert R. Reid, with an office on Washington Street in Augusta.[4]
About 1827, he contractedtuberculosis. His mother had died of the disease, and his anticipation of the same fate greatly affected his mental health. Yet he was noted for his wit and humor, and fond of poetry. Between 1826 and 1829 a number of his own verses were published in theAugusta Constitutionalist under the pen name "Quip, Crank & Co."[2]
At the age of 24, Black was elected to theGeorgia House of Representatives as a representative from Richmond County, GA, and served from 1829 to 1831. Notably, in the legislature he made serious efforts to have theUniversity of Georgia (then known asFranklin College) relocated fromAthens toMilledgeville, which was then the capital of Georgia. This effort was driven by a running feud he had with the students over quality of scholarship at the institution.[2]
In 1831, Edward J. Black was the prosecutor for the Superior Court of Richmond County, Georgia in the case of "the State vs Surry, a Slave". Surry was indicted for the February 6, 1831 murder of another African American by stabbing. The judge on the bench of Middle Circuit of Georgia, which then included Richmond County, was Judge William White Holt. The defense attorneys for Surry were GeneralThomas Glascock, Andrew Jackson Miller, andAugustus Baldwin Longstreet, a slave owner and vehement pro-slavery and pro-secessionist advocate. The trial concluded on February 21, 1831 with a verdict of guilty.[5][6]
He was considered by the legislature for election to the position of Attorney General of the state of Georgia, but was defeated by one vote.[2]
Black moved toScreven County, Georgia, in 1832;[7] at that time, he married Augusta George Anna Kirkland,[8] and greatly grew his slave ownership from a few slaves to "thirty or forty slaves," according to his son's later recollections. The 1840 Census enumeration of Edward J. Black shows he owned 20 enslaved people.[9] The 1850 Census of Slave Inhabitants enumerates his widow as "owner" of 30 enslaved persons.[10]
In 1838, he was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives as aWhig to represent Georgia in the26th United States Congress and served one term from March 4, 1839, until March 3, 1841, as he lost his reelection bid as aDemocrat for a second term in that seat in 1840; however, he did win election as aDemocrat to fill a vacancy in the27th Congress caused by the resignations of Georgia RepresentativesJulius C. Alford,William Crosby Dawson andEugenius Aristides Nisbet.[7]
In 1840, Edward J. Black, with two of his colleagues (Walter T. Colquitt andMark A. Cooper) of the U.S. House of Representatives, diverged from the rest of the Congressional delegation from Georgia by refusing to support Gen.William Henry Harrison for the Presidency.[2]
He won reelection to that seat in the general election of 1842 and served in the28th Congress and his second stint in the U.S. congress spanned from January 3, 1842, to March 3, 1845. Black lost his reelection bid in 1844 and returned to practicing law.[7]
He died on September 1, 1846, at the residence of Mr. G. Robison, his wife's grandfather, in the Barnwell District.[2] He was buried in a family cemetery nearMillettville, South Carolina, inAllendale County.[7]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's at-large congressional district March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's at-large congressional district January 3, 1842 – March 3, 1845 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
  | This article about a member of the Georgia House of Representatives is astub. You can help Wikipedia byadding missing information. |
