John A. Hyman, Marker E-101
Posted by: 
showbizkid
N 36° 23.818 W 078° 09.353
17S E 755073 N 4031737
John A. Hyman was born a slave in 1840. He rose to political office during Reconstruction, ultimately becoming a U.S. Congressman, and actively supported civil rights for blacks. Accusations of corruption and the demise of the Republican Party in North Carolina ultimately ended his political career. He then left North Carolina and moved to Washington, D.C., where he found work in the U.S. government. He died in 1891.
Waymark Code: WMB8N
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 04/25/2006
Views: 23
John Adams Hyman (1840-1891) was born a slave near Warrenton. When Hyman was in his early 20s, his employer, a jeweler named King, taught him to read and write. Hyman was sold and went to Alabama after King was driven out of town by a secessionist mob at the beginning of the Civil War. Hyman returned in 1865, opened a store, and initiated political activity among the freed slaves.
In 1868 Hyman was elected as the Warren County delegate to the North Carolina constitutional convention. The same year he was elected as a Republican to the state Senate, and was re-elected in 1870 and 1872. During his time in the Senate he was a strong supporter of improving civil rights for blacks, but “his efforts were clouded by his involvement in frauds and payoffs of significant proportions.” In 1874 he announced a run for U.S. Congress, “though many of his fellow Republicans as well as his opponents thought him both vainglorious and dishonest.” He won and was the only Republican elected from North Carolina that year.
By 1876 Hyman’s popularity was on the decline. “Hyman had become odious for his flagrant dishonesty, and his own friends and supporters turned from him.” He was not re-nominated by the Republican Party.
In late 1878, members of the Warrenton Colored Methodist Church accused Hyman of embezzling Sunday school funds. On Jan. 5, 1879, he entered the Sunday morning church service and assaulted the minister. Members of the congregation threw him out of the church. The next day he met the preacher on the street and struck him again. Hyman was arrested and fined for assault.
When set free, he left the county and moved to Washington, D.C. and obtained a job with the U.S. Post Office Department and later the Agriculture Department. In 1891, he died of a stroke in Washington.
To record your own visit to this waymark, post a photo of the marker and leave some brief comments. Logs without photos will be deleted. Thanks.
Visit Instructions:Photos of your visit to the marker are required, but PLEASE, no old vacation photos taken just because it was there!
Comments about your visit, interesting nearby areas and any significant information you may have on this waymark are encouraged.
Most of all, enjoy the History that North Carolina has to offer! From the Mountains to the Ocean .. it's all here!