From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)

Robert J. Harlan was born in Harrodsburg, KY, son of an enslaved mother and Judge James Harlan (father of John M. Harlan - Plessy v. Ferguson). Robert was the second American to own and race horses in England. He lost his wealth during the Civil War. Harlan spoke out for the ratification of the 15th Amendment. He was a member of the Ohio Legislature and worked with two others to gain the repeal of the Black laws.

For more see Dictionary of American Negro Biography, by R. W. Logan & M. R. Winston; Peter Wallenstein, "Pioneer Black Legislators from Kentucky, 1860s-1960s," The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, summer/autumn 2012, vol. 110, no. 3/4 and in New Perspectives on Civil War-Era Kentucky, pp. 533-557 (both versions online and in hardcopy); and Robert J. Harlan in BlackPast.org.