Malcolm Claiborne facts for kids

Malcolm Claiborne (1838–1870), sometimes spelled Claiborn, was an elected representative in the Georgia Legislature. An African American, he along with 25 of 29 African Americans elected in Georgia in 1868 were denied seats by their white colleagues. After federal intervention they were allowed to take office in 1870. Claiborne was shot and killed the same year in a dispute with the messenger sent by the Georgia House, Moses H. Bentley, who had been a black delegate to the Constitutional Convention, in a heated dispute over the pay of House pages. Claiborne is believed to be buried at the Oakland Cemetery (Atlanta), although the exact location of his grave is unknown.