American Politicians Who Have Slaveholding Ancestors

#politics

The genealogies of America’s political elite reveal that more than 100 U.S. leaders – including lawmakers, presidents, governors, and justices – have direct ancestors who enslaved Black people. Among them are influential politicians like Republican senators Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Tom Cotton, and James Lankford, as well as Democrats Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, Jeanne Shaheen, and Maggie Hassan. source

Additionally, President Joe Biden and every living former U.S. president (except Donald Trump) have ties to slaveholding through their family histories. Notably, two of the current U.S. Supreme Court justices, Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, also have direct ancestors who enslaved people. South Carolina, where the Civil War began, illustrates the familial connections between the American political elite and the nation’s history of slavery. source

According to a Reuters examination, more than 100 U.S. political elites – including lawmakers, presidents, governors, and justices – have direct ancestors who enslaved Black people. Here are some notable examples: source

1. Senators with slaveholding ancestors:

   • Mitch McConnell, a Republican senator.

   • Lindsey Graham, another Republican senator.

   • Tom Cotton, also a Republican senator.

   • James Lankford, yet another Republican senator.

   • Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic senator.

   • Tammy Duckworth, another Democratic senator.

   • Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, both Democrats.

   
   

2. Presidents and former presidents:

   • Joe Biden, the current president, has slaveholding ancestors.

   • Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton (all former presidents) also have direct ties to slaveholders. Barack Obama, through his white mother’s side, is also connected.

   
   

3. Supreme Court justices:

   • Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, two of the nine sitting U.S. Supreme Court justices, have ancestors who enslaved people.

   
   

4. Governors:

   • In 2022, 11 out of 50 U.S. state governors were descendants of slaveholders. Notably, eight of these governors were from states that formed the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.

For instance, South Carolina, where the Civil War began, illustrates the familial ties between the American political elite and the nation’s history of slavery. Every member of the state’s nine-person delegation to the last Congress has an ancestral link. source