Francis Lewis Cardozo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Francis Lewis Cardozo
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Francis Lewis Cardozo
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| Secretary of State of South Carolina | |
| In office 1868–1872 |
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| Preceded by | Ellison Capers |
| Succeeded by | Henry E. Hayne |
| South Carolina state treasurer | |
| In office August 1, 1872 – May 1, 1877 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | February 1, 1836 Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | July 22, 1903 (aged 67) |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Catherine Romena Howell |
| Children | 4 sons 2 daughters |
| Relatives | Thomas Whitmarsh Cardozo (brother) Eslanda Goode Robeson (granddaughter) Benjamin N. Cardozo (distant relative) |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow |
| Profession | Clergyman, politician, educator |
Francis Lewis Cardozo (born February 1, 1836 – died July 22, 1903) was an important American leader. He was a minister, a politician, and an educator. In 1868, he made history in South Carolina. He was elected as the Secretary of State. This made him the first African American to hold a statewide office in the United States.
Francis Cardozo was born free in Charleston, South Carolina. This was during a time when many African Americans were enslaved. His mother was a free woman of color. His father was a Sephardic Jewish man. Francis studied at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He also went to schools to become a minister.
After his studies, he worked as a minister in Connecticut. In 1865, he returned to South Carolina. He joined the American Missionary Association. His goal was to help set up schools for freed people. This was right after the American Civil War.
Later, Francis Cardozo worked in Washington, D.C. He had a job at the U.S. Department of Treasury. He also spent twelve years as the principal of a big public high school. He lived in Washington, D.C., for the rest of his life.
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Francis Cardozo's Early Life
Francis Cardozo was born free in 1836 in Charleston. He was the second of three sons. His mother, Lydia Williams Weston, was a free woman of color. His father, Isaac Nunez Cardozo, was a Sephardic Jewish man. Isaac worked at the US Customhouse in Charleston. The children were born free because their mother was free.
Francis had two sisters, Lydia and Eslander. He also had an older brother, Henry Cardozo, and a younger brother, Thomas Whitmarsh Cardozo. His father made sure the boys went to a private school. This school was open to free people of color.
In 1855, Isaac, Francis's father, passed away. This made things harder for the family.
Education and Ministry
Francis Cardozo went to Scotland for his college education. In 1858, he started studying at the University of Glasgow. After that, he attended schools for ministers in Edinburgh and London. He became a Presbyterian minister.
When he came back to the United States, he became a pastor. In 1864, he led the Temple Street Congregational Church. This church was in New Haven, Connecticut. On December 20, 1864, he married Catherine Romena Howell. She was also known as Minnie. Her stepfather was the Rev. Amos Beman. He was a famous person who worked to end slavery. He had also been a pastor at the same church. Francis and Minnie had seven children together. Sadly, two of them died young. They had four sons and one daughter who lived.
Helping Freed People in South Carolina
In 1865, Francis Cardozo went back to Charleston. He worked for the American Missionary Association (AMA). He took over from his younger brother, Thomas Cardozo. He became the superintendent of an AMA school. The AMA set up schools and colleges for freed people in the South. This was after the Civil War.
Cardozo helped this school grow. It became the Avery Normal Institute. This was one of the first free high schools for African Americans. Its main purpose was to train teachers. Freed people really wanted education for their children and themselves. Today, the Avery Institute is part of the College of Charleston.
Francis Cardozo's Political Career
Francis Cardozo became very involved in the Republican Party in South Carolina. In 1868, he was chosen as a delegate. He helped write the new South Carolina constitution. He led the education committee. He strongly supported having public schools where all children, no matter their race, could learn together. In 1868, the state approved a new constitution. It created public schools for the first time. It also said these schools should be open to everyone.
First African American in Statewide Office
In 1868, Francis Cardozo was elected Secretary of State in South Carolina. This was a huge step. He was the first African American to hold a statewide office in the United States. As Secretary of State, he improved the South Carolina Land Commission. This group helped give land to former slaves.
During his time as Secretary of State, he was also chosen to teach Latin. He taught at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He told the governor he wanted to resign. But the governor helped arrange for Cardozo to keep both jobs. A helper was appointed for his state office. He taught at Howard until March 1872.
State Treasurer and Challenges
Francis Cardozo was elected as the state treasurer in 1872. He refused to be part of dishonest dealings. Because of this, some Democratic lawmakers tried to remove him from office in 1874. But they were not successful. He was reelected in 1874 and again in 1876. However, in 1876, the Democrats won most offices. They took control of the state government.
Elections in South Carolina, and other southern states, became very violent. Some people tried to stop African Americans from voting. The 1876 election for governor was also violent. Many unfair tricks were used during voting. There were also arguments about who really won.
In the end, white Democrats took back control of the state government. This happened after a national agreement in 1877. This agreement meant the federal government stopped helping to rebuild the South. It also meant federal troops were removed from the South. The agreement also supported the Democrat, Wade Hampton III, as governor. When the new government took over, Governor Hampton asked Cardozo and others to leave their jobs. Francis left office on May 1, 1877.
In November 1877, the Democrats accused Cardozo of a crime. Even though the evidence wasn't very strong, he was found guilty. He spent over six months in jail. Later, the federal government dropped charges against some Democrats. In 1879, Democratic Governor William Dunlap Simpson pardoned Cardozo. This meant his conviction was removed.
In 1878, Cardozo got a job in Washington, D.C. He worked in the Treasury Department. He worked there for six years. During this time, he also worked on education plans for Washington, D.C.
Francis Cardozo as an Educator
In 1884, Francis Cardozo went back to working in education. He became the principal of the Colored Preparatory High School in Washington, D.C. He added business classes to the school. He made it a leading school for African Americans. He was the principal until 1896.
Francis Cardozo was a distant relative of Benjamin N. Cardozo. Benjamin later became a United States Supreme Court Justice. Francis's granddaughter was Eslanda Cardozo Goode. She studied chemistry and was an author and civil rights activist. She married the famous singer and activist Paul Robeson.
Legacy and Honors
In 1928, a high school in Washington, D.C., was reorganized. It was named Cardozo Senior High School in honor of Francis Cardozo.
In Popular Culture
In the 1994 TV show North and South, Book III, actor Billy Dee Williams played Francis Cardozo.
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Francis Lewis Cardozo
