Lawson Steele was a state legislator in Alabama during the Reconstruction era. He represented Montgomery County, Alabama. He was a leader in the A.M.E. Church.[1] In 1870, he had substantial and was one of the wealthier African American legislators.[2]

He was born in Alabama and enslaved. He represented Montgomery County, Alabama in the Alabama House of Representatives from 1872 to 1874.[3][4] He is listed on a historical marker at the intersection of Tullibody Drive and University Drive North in Montgomery, Alabama that lists the Black Members of the Alabama Legislature Who Served During The Reconstruction Period of 1868–1879.[5]

The 1866 Alabama State Census for Montgomery County listed one Lawson Steele aged 30–40 living with one female aged 20–30.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Clipping from The Montgomery Advertiser - Newspapers.com". Montgomery Advertiser.
  2. ^ Bailey, Richard (June 2, 2010). Neither Carpetbaggers Nor Scalawags: Black Officeholders During the Reconstruction of Alabama, 1867-1878. NewSouth Books. ISBN 9781588381897 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Freedom's Lawmakers by Eric Foner, Louisiana State University Press, (1996) page 203
  4. ^ "African-American Legislators in Reconstruction Alabama" (PDF). Alabama Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Black Members of the Alabama Legislature Who Served During The Reconstruction Period of 1868-1879 Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Alabama State Census, 1866," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V6PL-68V : 19 February 2021), Lawson Steele, Autauga, Alabama, United States; citing certificate , p. , Department of Archives and History, Montgomery; FHL microfilm .