Arthur Wergs Mitchell, 1936 U.S. Rep. Arthur Wergs Mitchell was the first Democratic African American politician to be elected to Congress. (more) Arthur Wergs Mitchell American politician Written by Nick Tabor Nick Tabor is a freelance journalist and the author of Africatown: America's Last Slave Ship and the Community It Created. Nick Tabor Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Feb. 27, 2026 •History Arthur Wergs Mitchell (born December 22, 1880 or 1883, near Roanoke, Alabama, U.S.—died May 9, 1968, near Petersburg, Virginia) was an American politician who served as a congressman from Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1935 to 1943. He was the first Democratic African American politician to be elected to Congress, and he represented a district encompassing the South Side of Chicago. Mitchell was a staunch supporter of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, which...

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