Until 1976 he was the only African - American representative in the state house , having been repeatedly returned to office .
In 1967 he was the first African American elected to the Mississippi State Legislature since the Reconstruction era .
Until 1976 he was the only African American     representative in the state house , having been repeatedly returned to office .
In 1967 he was the first African American elected to the Mississippi State Legislature since the Reconstruction era .