The following is a list of African-American holders of public office from 1900 to 1959. This period saw setbacks for African Americans following the
Reconstruction era after "Redeemer" Democrats retook control of the South and restored
white supremacy in government. African-Americans were largely barred from voting and almost entirely obstructed from public office in former Confederate states under the Jim Crow regime. The number of African American officeholders would dramatically increase following the passage of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964.