Robert Carlos De Large

Congressman Robert De Large was born into slavery and later served in the U.S. House of Representatives as a representative of South Carolina from 1871 to 1873 (42nd Congress) where he served on the Manufactures Committee. After taking office, the district’s former Democratic representative contested the election and De Large lost his seat two months before serving a full term. During his brief tenure in Congress, De Large called for greater protection of Black Americans from white supremacist groups.