Christopher Payne

Christopher Harrison Payne (September 7, 1845 – December 5, 1925) was an African American religious, educational, and political leader of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born in the American South during the time of slavery, Payne rose to a level of prominence achieved by few, regardless of race. His many accomplishments include being the first African American elected to the West Virginia Legislature. He served as U.S. consul to St. Thomas from 1903 to 1917.

Early life

Payne was born in Red Sulphur Springs

During the American Civil War, Payne was forced to serve as an orderly in the Confederate Army. He was able to return home in 1864 After ministering for six years, Payne graduated from the Richmond Theological Institute in 1883

Politician Payne's growing stature within both the Black and white communities led to his appointment as an alternate delegate to the 1884 Republican National Convention, later serving as a regular delegate to the 1888 Republican National Convention where Benjamin Harrison was nominated for President of the United States. State leaders pushed for Payne's appointment as Ambassador to Liberia. Instead, he was appointed Deputy Collector for the United States Internal Revenue Service in Charleston, West Virginia. Along with Byrd Prillerman, another prominent African American educator, Payne was able to persuade the West Virginia Legislature to establish the West Virginia Colored Institute, now West Virginia State University, in 1891.

In 1896, Payne was elected to the West Virginia legislature, becoming the first African American to serve in that elective body. When the Spanish–American War of 1898 followed, Payne raised a volunteer Black regiment and saw to their arrival at the war time encampment of Camp Atkinson.

Ambassador

Due to his faithful service to the Republican Party, in 1903 United States President Theodore Roosevelt named Payne as Consul General to the Danish West Indies, a rare appointment for an African American at that time. Payne replaced as consul another African American politician, Mahlon Van Horne, who had been impeached and removed from office for alleged interference in local politics and financial regularities at his consulate.

NAACP Payne worked with the NAACP, serving on the planning committee for the 1917 Negro Silent Protest Parade.

Family life Payne married Ann Delilah Hargo at a young age and they had eight children. His youngest son and namesake, Christopher Hansen Payne (1881–1914), graduated from Howard University and received a medical degree. He practiced medicine in Hinton, West Virginia until his early death in 1914.

Children of Christopher Payne and Ann Delilah Hargo: Arabella Geneva Payne, 1860–1930 Lewis W. Payne, 1862–1927 Martha Adelaide Payne, 1866–1944 Mary Jane Payne, 1869–1932 James Robert Payne, 1872–1943 Charles Henry Payne, 1874–1950 Cyrus Alexander Payne, 1877–1944 Christopher Hansen Payne, 1881–1914

Later life

Payne remained in the Danish West Indies after they were sold to the United States in 1917 and became the United States Virgin Islands. With the closing of the consulate, he then became prosecuting attorney and police judge in St. Thomas, capital of the Virgin Islands. He died in the Virgin Islands on December 5, 1925, at the age of eighty.