William Mahone was an Confederate States Army General, civil engineer, railroad executive, prominent Virginia Readjuster and ardent supporter of former slaves.
William Mahone
William Mahone in his younger years
General Mahone in Confederate uniform
Share of the Atlantic, Mississippi & Ohio RR from 1871, signed by William Mahone as president
The Readjuster Party was a bi-racial state-level political party formed in Virginia across party lines in the late 1870s during the turbulent period following the Reconstruction era that sought to reduce outstanding debt owed by the state. Readjusters aspired "to break the power of wealth and established privilege" among the planter elite of whites in the state and to promote public education. The party's program attracted support among both white people and African-Americans.
Readjuster Party
South Side Railroad Depot on Rock Street in Petersburg; it served as the office of William Mahone when his Readjuster Party dominated Virginia politics.
1882 broadside produced by the Readjuster Party
William Mahone, the driving force behind the Readjusters, was elected to a term in the United States Senate from 1881 to 1887.