I also originally thought Brent Tarter's speculation was likely correct. 
However, addtional postings induced my finding the following photo of the 
marker that does indeed beg to mean the "country's" first elected black 
official:
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=5614

Also see the listing for Langston here: 
http://www.brownhorizonscircleoffriends.com/blhifa.html that states:
"- 1855: John Mercer Langston, a former slave, is elected clerk of Brownhelm 
Township in Ohio. He is the first black to win an elective political office 
in the United States."  It seems if something is repeated often enough it 
becomes truth.

Jon Kukla's posting that originated this thread didn't mention his quoted 
info was only a two-paragraph excerpt from a long article written by Kevin 
Merida for the Washington Post on June 6, 2008.  So Merida is the writer who 
did not research his story and simply furthered an appparently erroneous 
claim.  For the rest of 'his-story' see the following:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25013601/

It seems to me that Merida's article contains exaggerations such as 
'soaring' orator,  'expert' in constitutional law, 'community organizer' and 
about Langston's part in the formation of Howard University, for examples, 
that disfavor an otherwise well-accomplished man in his own right.  Parts of 
the article are also rather racist that might be held at distance by Barack 
Obama after awhile.

Neil McDonald

----- Original Message ----- 
I think that there's merely a keyboarding mistake at fault here in the
form of an erroneous "r." The second sentence should probably begin, "It
proudly proclaims that the county's first black elected official," not
the "country's."

$0.02 worth from

Brent Tarter
The Library of Virginia
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