Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first African American to serve in the United States Senate. Hiram Rhodes Revels was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina on September 27, 1927. His father worked as Baptist preacher. Revels entered seminary and was ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). His first pastorate was in Richmond, Indiana. He served as chaplain for a black regiment for the Maryland Militia. He served as a minister in many states including Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana and settled in Natchez, Mississippi. After service in the Senate as a Republican, he declined several federal appointments and returned to Mississippi to become the first President of Alcorn University.