One notable U.S. Senator in Black history is Hiram Rhodes Revels. He was the first African American to serve in the U.S. Senate. Revels, a minister and a Republican from Mississippi, was elected to the Senate in 1870 during the Reconstruction era following the Civil War. He served a brief term from February 1870 to March 1871. Revels was a significant figure in advancing civil rights and equality for African Americans during a tumultuous period in American history.