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 Francis 
          L. Cardozo Click 
          image to enlarge.  |  | Although 
        he claimed to have no desire to enter politics, Cardozo was elected to 
        the constitutional convention of 1868, and the became the first black 
        state official in South Carolina's history, holding the positions of secretary 
        of state (1868-72) and treasurer (1872-76). Previous  Next     
 
 He was defeated for reelection in 1876, when Democrats launched a campaign 
        of violence that ended Republican rule in the state.
 
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