Franklin D. Dancy (1840 – October 16, 1907) was a

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

blacksmith, mayor and politician who served in the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The Senate ...

Biography

Dancy was born enslaved and was owned by an

Edgecombe County Edgecombe County ( or )Talk Like a Tarheel
, from the North Caro ...

planter. His brother was

John C. Dancy John Campbell Dancy (May 8, 1857 – December 5, 1920) was an American politician, journalist, and educator in North Carolina and Washington, D.C. For many years he was the editor of African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion church newspapers ''St ...

a politician, journalist and educator. He served as the commissioner of

Tarboro Tarboro is a town located in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Rocky Mount metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 10,721. It is the county seat of Edgecombe County. The town is o ...

for two years during the

and then two years as the county commissioner for

Edgecombe County Edgecombe County ( or )Talk Like a Tarheel
, from the North Caro ...

. In 1879 he was elected to serve in the

and was elected as the mayor of

in 1882, being the first black mayor of that town. Dancy was the chairman for the Republican district executive committee from 1880 until 1882, and in 1896 he was elected as a justice of the peace. Both Dancy and his brother John are mentioned in the inscription on the

historical marker A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, bearing text or an image in relief, or both, ...

at the St. Paul A.M.E. Zion Church in Tarboro. Dancy died in Tarboro on October 16, 1907.

References

North Carolina state senators 1840s births Year of birth uncertain Year of death missing People from Edgecombe County, North Carolina African-American mayors in North Carolina 19th-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub

Biography

See also

References