Paris Simkins

Paris Simkins (1849–1930) was an African-American figure who held various professions including storekeeper, lawyer, minister, barber, and politician. Born into slavery in Edgefield County, South Carolina, he was the son of Arthur Simkins, a white newspaper editor, and his enslaved mother. In 1866, Simkins and another formerly enslaved man wrote to Major General Daniel Sickles seeking protection from the government.

During Reconstruction, Simkins founded the Macedonia Baptist Church in Edgefield. He actively participated in politics, serving as a lieutenant colonel in the South Carolina State Militia, town postmaster, and member of the South Carolina House of Representatives (1872–1876). While in the legislature, he studied at the University of South Carolina, graduating in 1876. The same year, former slaveholder Wade Hampton III won the governorship through fraud and intimidation.

Afterward, Simkins focused on his church and organized the Knights of Pythias fraternal group in Edgefield. He was admitted to the state bar in 1885 but did not practice law. Simkins is buried at the Macedonia Baptist Church cemetery in Edgefield.

His grandson, Charles B. Bailey, faced racial discrimination when applying to the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1938 despite Simkins' prior graduation from USC. Bailey later worked for the U.S. Post Office and contributed to integrating post office letter carriers in Columbia during the 1940s.