Henry A. Rucker

Henry Allen Rucker (November 14, 1852—May 11, 1924) was an African American entrepreneur and politician. Born into slavery, he was able to achieve significant wealth and political power within the Republican Party. From 1897 to 1911 — the administrations of McKinley, Roosevelt, and Taft, all Republicans — he was the appointed head of federal tax collections for the state of Georgia. Despite serving at the nadir of race relations in Atlanta, Rucker was one of the three most powerful Black politicians in Georgia, alongside Judson Whitlocke Lyons and John H. Deveaux, characterized as the "big three" by rival Benjamin Jefferson Davis Sr.

Early life Rucker was born on November 14, 1852, the seventh of fourteen children, in Washington, Georgia. He and his parents were enslaved to Dr. William King; Rucker's father was a plasterer and his mother, Betsey (Bessie) Rucker, had some limited autonomy in the household. His mother was credited with offering Rucker council and guidance in his youth. The family moved to Kensington, Georgia, after the owner died. She supervised the children and invalid husband and moved the family to Atlanta after the Civil War. Henry Rucker was educated at Storrs School and worked a series of odd jobs before purchasing a house and a barber shop. He continued his studies at the Storrs Night School and Atlanta University Academy.