US Congressman, Manufacturer. He was born and educated on his father's plantation near Abbeville, South Carolina, and served as a Lieutenant with the 8th Infantry during the War of 1812. Following his discharge in 1815 he co-founded the King's Mountain Iron Works near what is now Cherokee Falls, and built it into one of the southeast's largest iron producers. In 1822 he suffered a setback when flooding destroyed his furnaces; forced to sell his assets at public auction, he bought them back for a pittance and rebuilt the company from scratch. He later ventured into the cotton industry and pursued political ambitions in his home state, including seven terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives (1826 to 1828, 1832 to 1835). A Democrat, Black was elected to the Twenty-Eighth and two succeeding US Congresses, representing South Carolina's 1st District, and served from 1843 to 1848. During the Mexican War of 1846 he was Chairman of the House Military Affairs Committee. He died in office. A Cenotaph was placed in his memory at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC. The King's Mountain Iron Works closed at the end of the Civil War.

US Congressman, Manufacturer. He was born and educated on his father's plantation near Abbeville, South Carolina, and served as a Lieutenant with the 8th Infantry during the War of 1812. Following his discharge in 1815 he co-founded the King's Mountain Iron Works near what is now Cherokee Falls, and built it into one of the southeast's largest iron producers. In 1822 he suffered a setback when flooding destroyed his furnaces; forced to sell his assets at public auction, he bought them back for a pittance and rebuilt the company from scratch. He later ventured into the cotton industry and pursued political ambitions in his home state, including seven terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives (1826 to 1828, 1832 to 1835). A Democrat, Black was elected to the Twenty-Eighth and two succeeding US Congresses, representing South Carolina's 1st District, and served from 1843 to 1848. During the Mexican War of 1846 he was Chairman of the House Military Affairs Committee. He died in office. A Cenotaph was placed in his memory at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC. The King's Mountain Iron Works closed at the end of the Civil War.

Bio by: Bobb Edwards