Jefferson Franklin Long

Born: March 3, 1836 in Knoxville, Georgia 

Died: February 4, 1901 in Macon, Georgia

United States Representative, 1870–1879

Republican from South Carolina

• Jefferson Franklin Long was the second African American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first African American to represent Georgia. 
• Long only served 3 months, but on February 1, 1871, he became the first African American Representative to speak before the House. Speaking against the Amnesty Bill, which restored political rights to former Confederates, Long pleaded with his colleagues to acknowledge the atrocities being committed by white supremacists in Georgia. 
• Born a slave and self-educated, Long owned a prosperous tailor shop in Macon, Ga and was an active member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) headed by Henry McNeal Turner, an influential African American leader in late-19th-century Georgia. 
• After leaving Congress on March 3, 1871, Long returned to his tailor shop and other businesses in Macon,  which suffered because of his reputation among whites as a radical politician. In spite of these challenges, he continued to support causes to empower Black people in the state.
• Long died in Macon on February 4, 1901 at the age of 64. 
• Long remained the only African American to represent Georgia in the House of Representatives until the election of Andrew Young in 1972.

Jefferson Franklin Long

1901

Print Collection

Photographs and Prints Division

NYPL Digital Collections: Hon. Jefferson F. Long, Representative from Georgia.