James H. Piles Explained

Birth Date:	c. 1842
Birth Place:	Springfield, Ohio
Occupation:	African-American lawyer and state legislator in Mississippi

James H. Piles was a teacher, school principal, lawyer, and state legislator in Mississippi.

He was born c. 1842 in Springfield, Ohio, and before attending Oberlin College, worked as a barber.^[1] He left Mississippi after Reconstruction ended and worked in Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tennessee.^[2]

He represented Panola County in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1870 to 1875 as a Republican.^[3] He served as Assistant Secretary of State in 1875.^[1]

See also

• African-American officeholders during and following the Reconstruction era

Notes and References

1. Web site: James H. Piles – Against All Odds.
2. Freedom's Lawmakers by Eric Foner Louisiana State University Press 1996 page 170
3. News: Mississippi Legislature 1870 . 10 April 2022 . The Clarion-Ledger . 10 March 1870 . 3.