Abraham Harris Galloway (born February 8, 1837, Smithfield, North Carolina – died September 1, 1870, Wilmington, North Carolina) was an African American politician who served as a state Senator in North Carolina.
Born in Smithville (now Southport, North Carolina), Galloway was a former slave who played an important role in supporting the Union Army's success in North Carolina, he served in the North Carolina Senate during the Reconstruction era following the Civil War. His funeral in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1870 was honored by attendance from more than 6,000 people.
Although he was a driving force in shaping local and state political direction during his brief lifetime, Abraham Galloway left no record of his own thoughts and ideas, being unable to read or write. William Still, abolitionist and corresponding secretary for the Philadelphia Vigilance Committee, records the escape of Galloway and his friend Richard Eden from Wilmington to Philadelphia, stowed among the cargo of a schooner carrying naval stores: pine tar and turpentine. Due to the hazards of this particular journey, Still counts Galloway and Eden as "classed among the bravest of the brave". The Vigilance Committee provided passage to Canada for the two men.
Within the 20th century, historians and writers have uncovered Galloway's story, and continue to strengthen knowledge of this Civil War personality through two books, The Watermans Song, published in October 2001, and The Fire of Freedom, published in February 2015. These books bring the story of Abraham Galloway to life. An article by Philip Gerard, University of North Carolina-Wilmington, in Our State magazine also highlights his place in the history of North Carolina. Galloway was known as the Scarlet Pimpernel.
