Henry Eppes (September 16, 1830 or 1831 – February 6, 1903) was a seven-term Republican senator in the North Carolina General Assembly between 1868 and 1900.

[2] Because of Jim Crow Laws, no African American followed Eppes in the North Carolina legislature until 1968 when civil rights were restored.

[3] Through a recommendation of the Freedman's Bureau, Eppes was a delegate for Halifax County in North Carolina's Constitutional Convention in 1868.

[3][2] In 1870, Eppes supported the successful militia bill to stop Ku Klux Klan violence against African Americans.

[2] In 1887, he unsuccessfully proposed legislation for the establishment of a statewide normal and collegiate institution for African American students.

[3][2] He was a delegate at the 1872 Republican National Convention held in Philadelphia, nominating Ulysses S. Grant to a second term as president.

[2] Eppes and other African American politicians who served between 1868 and 1900 were recognized by a 2013 Senate Joint Resolution by the North Carolina General Assembly.