Gaines, Matthew (1840-1900), was one of the most important leaders of Texas’s Black community in the years following the American Civil War (1861-1865). Born into slavery, Gaines became one of the first African Americans elected to the Texas state Senate. Gaines was also a Baptist minister who advocated for civil rights in southeastern Texas.
Matthew Washington Gaines was born into slavery in Rapides Parish, in central Louisiana, on Aug. 4, 1840. At that time, it was illegal to provide African Americans with an education. However, Gaines learned to read and write with the help of a boy—probably a member of the slaveholding family—who secretly brought him books. Gaines twice attempted to escape from slavery, but he was captured each time. By the mid-1860’s, he was enslaved and working as a blacksmith and sheepherder in south-central Texas.
Slavery in the United States was abolished soon after the Civil War. Gaines then settled in Washington County, in southeastern Texas. He became a preacher in the Baptist church. During the Reconstruction period that followed the Civil War, the political process became open to African Americans in the South. Gaines soon became involved in politics as a member of the Republican Party. In 1869, he won election to the Texas state Senate. Many white Texans had boycotted the election.
As a senator, Gaines supported the interests of African Americans. He focused on such issues as education, prison reform, and protection from racial violence. He also sponsored legislation that exempted religious and educational groups from taxes. Many of Gaines’s efforts made him powerful enemies. In 1873, Gaines was convicted on charges of bigamy (having more than one wife). That same year, the Texas Supreme Court reversed the conviction, and Gaines was reelected to his Senate seat. However, maneuvers by political opponents kept Gaines from taking office.
Outside of politics, Gaines continued to speak out for the rights of African Americans. Gaines died on June 11, 1900.
See also Reconstruction.
