- Born free in Fayetteville County, North Carolina on September 23, 1822.
- Son of an African-American preacher and a Scottish mother.
- Ordained a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, in Baltimore,
Maryland, in 1845.
- Enrolled in Union County Quaker Seminary as the only negro student. Later
attended negro seminary. Scholarship student at Knox Academy in Galegurg,
Illinois, 1856-57.
- Imprisoned, then released in 1854 for preaching "Gospel to the negro".
- Moved to Baltimore, MD. in 1858, after traveling, preaching and learning in the
'free' states of Indiana, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio.
- In 1861 he help to organize the 1st two African-American regiments for the
United States military.
- Moved to Mississippi in 1865.
- Revels became an Alderman for the city of Natchez, MS. in 1868.
- In 1869 he becomes a compromise candidate for the MS. state senate.
- Elected during a debate over who would fill the vacant seats left by those leaving
to fight in the Civil War, Revels was nomninated as a compromise candidate
between the 3rd and 4th ballots. He was appointed to fill one of the seats for the
Republican Party.
- After 3 days of bitter debate in the U.S. Senate his credentials were accepted on
February 25, 1870 and he was allowed to take the seat left vacant by Jefferson
Davis.
- Revels' short term ended March 3, 1871.
- One of his last acts in the U.S. Senate was to appropriate $50, 000 to help build
the Negro College, Alcorn A&M. In 1872 he was invited to be, and he accepted
the presidency of that institution.
- In 1873 he left to take the job of Secretary of State in Mississippi.
- Rejoining Alcorn A&M in 1875, he resigned as president in 1882.
- Hiram R. Revels died on January 16, 1901.