Robert H. Wood

Robert H. Wood (c. 1844–?) was an African American 19th-century politician, postmaster, and sheriff. He served as the first African American Mayor of Natchez, Mississippi from 1870 until 1871, He was one of only five black mayors in the American South during the Reconstruction-era; and is thought to be the first black mayor in Mississippi.

In 1865, he worked at a photographic printshop with John R. Lynch, Wood and Lynch formed a relationship at the printshop that followed them in to later life, He was involved in establishing the first school for African Americans in Natchez in 1871.

In 2004, the next African American mayor of the city was elected, Phillip West, and he paid tribute to Wood in a 2016 short history film.