| Richard Edward Dereef | |
| Birth Date: | c. 1798 |
| Birth Place: | Charleston, South Carolina, United States |
| Death Date: | 1876 |
| Organization: | Brown Fellowship Society |
| Occupation: | Lumber trader, politician |
Richard Edward Dereef (c. 1798–1876) was an African-American man and become a slave owner of forty African-American slaves, American lumber trader, and politician.[1] A member of a wealthy family of mixed African and European descent, Dereef was a prominent member of South Carolinian society but was subject to discrimination due to his race. He was considered one of the wealthiest African-American men in Charleston, South Carolina and served as a city alderman during the Reconstruction era.
Dereef was from a wealthy mixed race family in Charleston.[2] Although well educated and wealthy, he was subject to discrimination due to his race.[3] Unlike other freedmen, Dereef did not have to pay the Free Black Man's Tax, as he claimed Native American descent from his grandmother.[2] [4] In 1823 he and his cousin, John Cain, went to court and persuaded a Charleston magistrate that the Dereef and Cain families were legitimately descended from Native Americans, exempting them and their children from the tax.[4]
He and his brother, Joseph Dereef (1802–1876) worked as wood factors. The family business operated from Dereef's Wharf.[5] He also owned rental properties on the East Side of Charleston, and some of his tenants were white people.[6] He was considered one of the richest black men in Charleston.[2] [7]
Dereef built a house in Wraggborough.[8] He was a slave owner,[9] and owned as many as 40 slaves and the slaves were darker in skin color as he belonged to a lighter skin group that would not associate with darker blacks and looked down upon them in all aspects of life.[10]
Dereef served as a city alderman, having been appointed by military authorities in 1868 during the Reconstruction era.[11] He generally allied himself with Democrats.[6]
In 1872, he was elected to the standing committee of the Brown Fellowship Society.[12] He left a will and testament upon his death.[13]
Dereef Court and Dereef Park in Charleston are named after him.[14] In 2012, Dereef Park was slated to be developed with housing units despite protests.[15] In 2017, a compromise was reached to incorporate a park and the historic praise house along with residential development.[16]