P. B. S. Pinchback - Legacy

Legacy

Pinchback is the maternal grandfather of Jean Toomer, known as an author of the Harlem Renaissance.

It was not until 1990 that another African American was elected as governor of any U.S. state. In 1990, Douglas Wilder of Virginia became the second African-American state governor (and the first to be elected to office). Deval Patrick of Massachusetts was elected governor in 2006 and took office in January 2007. David Paterson of New York became the fourth African-American governor on March 17, 2008, when he succeeded to office following the resignation of Eliot Spitzer. Wilder, Patrick and Paterson are all Democrats, reflecting the realignment of most African Americans since the Great Depression and especially passage of federal civil rights legislation, pushed through with the aid of President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Since the similar realignment in the southern states among white residents who have been voting for Republican national and statewide candidates, two Republican governors have been elected of minority status: the governors of Louisiana and South Carolina, Bobby Jindal, and Nikki Haley, respectively, who are both of Indian (East Asian) descent.