Richard Howell Gleaves was a prominent Prince Hall

Prince Hall

Prince Hall , was a tireless abolitionist and a leader of the free black community in Boston. Hall tried to gain New England’s enslaved and free blacks a place in some of the most crucial spheres of society, Freemasonry, education and the military...

 mason and Reconstruction-era politician in South Carolina. He was born free in Philadelphia to a Haitian father and an English mother, and died in Washington, D.C.

In 1866, Gleaves came to Beaufort, South Carolina

Beaufort, South Carolina

Beaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 12,361 in the 2010 census. It is located in the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan...

 and went into business with Robert Smalls

Robert Smalls

Robert Smalls was an enslaved African American who, during and after the American Civil War, became a ship's pilot, sea captain, and politician. He freed himself and his family from slavery on May 13, 1862, by commandeering a Confederate transport ship, the Planter, to freedom in Charleston harbor...

. Gleaves purchased property in the town, including land on which was later constructed a black fraternal hall that is now known as the Sons of Beaufort Lodge, located at 607 West Street in Beaufort.

In 1872 and 1874, Gleaves was elected Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina.