Robert McWhorter
Post-war political service
Post\-war political service
---------------------------

McWhorter joined the pro\-Reconstruction Republican Party, and was re\-elected to his old seat in the Georgia House in 1868 under the Reconstruction Constitution. In that same election cycle, McWhorter's brother, James Hamilton McWhorter won election to the Georgia State Senate, representing neighboring [Oglethorpe County](/wiki/Oglethorpe_County%2C_Georgia "Oglethorpe County, Georgia"). Roughly 1200 of Greene County's 1500 eligible black voters turned out to help elect two Republicans to the House. They were McWhorter and black Republican representative [Abram Colby](/wiki/Abram_Colby "Abram Colby"). In that same election, [Ulysses S. Grant](/wiki/Ulysses_S._Grant "Ulysses S. Grant") carried [Greene County](/wiki/Greene_County%2C_Georgia "Greene County, Georgia") in the Presidential race. Representatives met in the new capital city of Atlanta, where the legislative session was held in an opera house on [Marietta Street](/wiki/Marietta_Street "Marietta Street") rented from [H.I. Kimball](/wiki/H.I._Kimball "H.I. Kimball"). McWhorter was elected Speaker by the Republican majority. He served in that position during the entire [80th Georgia General Assembly](/wiki/80th_Georgia_General_Assembly "80th Georgia General Assembly") until 1870\. After McWhorter presided over the House for one term, Democrats regained the majority and replaced him with [James Milton Smith](/wiki/James_Milton_Smith "James Milton Smith") as Speaker. McWhorter would later rejoin the Democratic party, in 1878, and serve in the [Georgia State Senate](/wiki/Georgia_State_Senate "Georgia State Senate") until retiring from political life in 1884\.


How did the Reconstruction Constitution impact voting rights in Georgia?