Abraham H. Galloway (February 8, 1837 – September 1, 1870) was an African American politician who served as a state Senator in North Carolina.

[3] 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.

Abraham Galloway was born to an enslaved black woman, Hester Hankins, who was owned by the widow of a Methodist minister in Smithville (now Southport), North Carolina.

A sympathetic ship captain agreed to hide Galloway and Eden below the deck, among barrels of turpentine, tar, and rosin.

Galloway and Eden planned to use oilcloth and wet towels to ward off smoke, but fortunately, the fires were left unlit.

Galloway and Eden arrived successfully in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but were sent further north to Ontario to avoid bounty hunters.

[8] In May 1864 Galloway was part of a delegation of five black leaders who met with Abraham Lincoln and urged him to advocate for suffrage for African Americans.

In September 1867 Galloway delivered a speech promising Wilmington's black men that within six months they would be able to vote on a state constitution that would expand their rights.

In March, the front page of multiple Wilmington newspapers reported in dismay that Galloway had met with the white president of the convention in a restaurant and they had shared a public meal together.

The militia patrolled the streets of Wilmington, armed, and confronted white men suspected of Klan membership.

On July 6, 1868, he amended a proposal to desegregate the senate galleries by offering an optional middle section that could be occupied by both races.

[21] Frederick Douglass's newspaper, New National Era, stated that Galloway died very poor due to his dedication to philanthropy.