SHREVEPORT, La. ( KTAL/KMSS ) – A public park in west Shreveport was named after one of the first major Black politicians in American history.
P.B.S. Pinchback was responsible for a lot of firsts in the state of Louisiana. He was the second Black Lieutenant governor. He was the first Black governor, serving while Henry Clay Warmouth was undergoing impeachment proceedings.
When Pinchback became governor in Reconstruction-era Louisiana, he also became the first Black governor in United States history.
Here’s a summary of Pinckney “Pink” Benton Stewart Pinchback’s amazing life.
Pinchback’s childhood
Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback was born on May 10, 1837, in Macon, Georgia . His mother had been emancipated before his birth, and his father was a white planter in Mississippi. Pinckney’s parents lived together as a couple.
The story goes that when Pinckney’s planter father died, the family left Mississippi for Ohio because they were afraid that other family members might try to enslave them again.