Hiram Rhoades Revels, a free African American, was born on September 1, 1822 in Fayetteville, NC. As a young man, Revels was educated in Indiana and Illinois before being ordained a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1845. Prior to settling down in Baltimore MD, Revels traveled as a circuit preacher through the Midwest and border slave states, working in A.M.E. churches that were well-known for their involvement in the Underground Railroad.

In 1852, Revels set up a school in the church where he was the pastor to help teach reading and writing to African Americans. During the Civil War, he helped to organize African American volunteers to serve for the Union Army and then joined the Army himself as a chaplain stationed in Mississippi in 1863. After the war, Revels moved to Natchez, MS where he served as pastor to a large African American congregation. In 1869, Revels was elected the first African American to the United States Senate. While in office, he focused on issues related to non-segregated schools and public transportation. Hiram Rhoades Revels passed away on January 16, 1901 at Aberdeen, MS.