James Sidney Hinton


James Sidney Hinton was the first African American to hold state office in Indiana, and the first African American to serve in the Indiana state legislature. He was a staunch Republican.

Early life and education

Hinton was born in 1834 to John Cooper Hinton and Hannah Mitchell Hinton, free blacks in Raleigh, North Carolina. His father was a successful builder of skylights. He moved with his parents to Terre Haute, Indiana in 1848. There he helped support his family by working part-time as a barber while attending a subscription school organized by the local African-American community for four years, followed by a Quaker high school in Hartford in Vigo County for two years.
Hinton later attended the Union Literary Institute in Union City, Indiana. The Institute, part of the Greenville Settlement which straddled the Indiana-Ohio state line, was also attended by Hiram Revels, who would become the first African-American United States Senator.
In 1859, Hinton was elected Grand Master of the Indiana lodge of the Prince Hall Masons.
At the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, Hinton sought to enlist in the Union Army in Indiana but was turned away because of his race. When African Americans were allowed to enlist in 1863, Hinton accepted a lieutanant's commission and became a recruiting officer for various Union regiments, including the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and 28th Indiana Infantry Regiment.
In 1862, Hinton moved to Indianapolis, which remained his home for the duration of his life, and where he set up a real estate business. There he married Eliza J. Mitchell.

Political career

After the Civil War, Hinton became known as a powerful Republican campaigner, speaking in numerous states. His rise in political status was propelled by his strong ties to the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Masons.
In 1872, Hinton was elected as an at-large delegate to the Republican National Convention. He was one of only two African-American delegates there.
From 1874 to 1878, Hinton served as a trustee of the Wabash and Erie Canal, becoming Indiana's first African-American holder of statewide office.
In 1880, Hinton was elected to represent Marion County in the Indiana State House. He served only one term, being defeated in the next primary by Dr. Samuel A. Elbert, also African-American but who failed to win the general election. Nonetheless, Hinton remained politically active thereafter.

Death and legacy

In 1892, after giving a speech in support of the Republican campaign in Brazil, Indiana, Hinton collapsed and died. He is buried in Indianapolis' historic Crown Hill Cemetery.
In 2014, a bust of Hinton was unveiled at the Indiana State Capitol, where it stands on the second floor alongside the bust of U.S. Representative Julia Carson as part of a permanent Black history display. Both sculptures are the work of Jon Hair.