In 1874 , Freeman again sought election to Haywood 's seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives , but was narrowly defeated by Lewis Bond , 2,008 votes to 1,831 . In April 1876 , Freeman purchased the printing press of the defunct '' Brownsville Bee '' , and began publishing a pro-Republican newspaper , the '' Brownsville Free Press '' . In May 1876 , he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention , where he served on the Committee on Resolutions . Later that year , he once again sought Haywood 's seat in the Tennessee House , and sold the '' Free Press '' in October 1876 to focus on his campaign . In the November election , he defeated the Democratic candidate , John R. Bond
Republican National Convention
1876 Republican National Convention
Alfred Alexander Freeman