George Washington Gayles
George W. Gayles | |
|---|---|
Gayles in 1887 | |
| Born | June 29, 1844 [William Haile Plantation Wilkinson County, Mississippi]], United States |
| Died | March 5, 1924 (aged 79) Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States |
| Occupation | Minister |
| Political party | Republican |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Baptist |
George Washington Gayles (June 29, 1844 – March 5, 1924) was an American Baptist minister and state legislator in Mississippi. He served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1872 until 1875 and in the Mississippi Senate from 1878 until 1886. He was a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in 1892, but received only 6% of the vote due to the voter suppression laws of that period. He was also a noted Baptist minister and was known as the "Father of the Convention" of African American Baptists in Mississippi.