John Willis Menard, the first African-American elected to Congress

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute John Willis Menard, born a Free Black in Illinois, February 17th 1838. He attended an Ohio college open to African-American students. During the Civil War, he worked at a military hospital.

Peace restored, Menard was customs inspector at New Orleans and editor of a newspaper, the Radical Standard. November 1868, the young Republican won election to a U.S. House of Representatives vacancy, but his opponent contested it based on Democrat Vote Fraud. With only a few days remaining in the term, Congress declined to seat either man.

Later years, Menard resided in Florida. He edited newspapers, and during the Benjamin Harrison administration worked for the census bureau.

Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know about the history of our party, the more Democrats will worry about the future of theirs. For more information, see www.grandoldpartisan.com. 

Here is a YouTube Video about this article.

Here is a TikTok Video about this article.

Here is an Instagram Video about this article.

Here is my Substack about this article.

Michael Zak is author of Back to Basics for the Republican Party, a history of GOP civil rights achievement.


Each day, his YouTube videos and TikTok videos and Rumble videos and Grand Old Partisan blog celebrate more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. And, see Speech Raves for audience feedback from his presentations in thirty-one states.

Clarence Thomas cited Back to Basics for the Republican Party in a Supreme Court decision.

"This is the most amazing book about politics that I have ever read. The Overview should be required reading for anyone with even a minor interest in government. The remainder is an enthralling history lesson that I will never forget. For years, we have all been misled about the true nature of the GOP. This is the real deal! Read it and be proud!"

"Your book is a national treasure. I'm always recommending it."

"Michael Zak wrote the definitive history of the GOP."

"Back to Basics for the Republican Party is the most significant contribution to the Republican Party in the last twenty years apart from Ronald Reagan."

"Back to Basics for the Republican Party is more important to our party now than ever before."

and

"one of the best books I ever read"


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