George W. Hayes

George Washington Hayes (November 1, 1847 – 1933), also known as George W. Hays, was an American state legislator, a former slave, and a court crier. He was the first African-American court crier in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio; and served as a Republican in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1902 to 1905 (75th–76th General Assemblies).

Early life and family George Washington Hayes was born on November 1, 1847, near St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. Hayes was the youngest child of Anna and Joshua Hays; his mother was enslaved and was of African American and Native American descent, and his father was a free Creole.

Hayes was a trustee of the Ohio Institute of the Blind, and the Curry Normal and Industrial Institute. He was superintendent of Sunday schools for both the Union Baptist Church and the Calvary Baptist Church. Hayes was a 32nd degree Mason, the district grand director of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, and a member of True Reformers.

He is buried in the Union Baptist Cemetery in the Price Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati. The Hayes Elementary School in Cincinnati is named for him.