James McWashington was a farmer and politician in Texas. Born in Alabama ca. 1840, he was enslaved. He was elected from Montgomery County, Texas as a delegate to the 1868-1869 Texas Constitutional Convention.https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1970&context=ethjhttps://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/forever/freedom/page6.html He advocated for the legalization of marriages among slaves prior to emancipation and property rights for women. He opposed dividing Texas into two states and opposed chartering a railroad company that included former Confederates as stockholders. He ran for a seat in the state legislature but lost. He married and had at least nine children.
He was one of five black delegates at the 1868-1869 Texas Constitutional Convention. He proposed stripping voting rights and prohibiting from holding office those involved in duels. He opposed imprisoning debtors.afrotexan.com/legislators/politicians/mcwashington.htm Elizabeth McWashington was his wife.https://www.tsl.texas.gov/exhibits/forever/biographies/page6.html
He was one of 52 African American legislators who served during the Reconstruction era memorialized on a monument dedicated in 2010.
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