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[Page 109]
Garnett, Robert Selden, born in Essex county, Virginia, April 26,
1789; pursued an academic course; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and began practice at
Lloyd's, Virginia; member of the state legislature; elected as a Democratic Republican to the
fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth congresses (March 4, 1817-March 3,
1827); died in Essex county, Virginia, August 15, 1840.
[Page 109]
Gholson, James Herbert, born at Gholsonville, Virginia, in 1798;
pursued an academic course, and was graduated from Princeton College in 1820; studied law, was
admitted to the bar and began practice at Percivals, Virginia; elected as a Democrat to the
twenty-third congress (March 4, 1833-March 3, 1835); judge of the circuit court for the Brunswick
circuit for many years; died in Brunswick county, Virginia, July 2, 1848.
[Page 109]
Gholson, Thomas, Jr., born in Brunswick, Virginia, in 1798; pursued
an academic course; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and began practice in Brunswick county,
Virginia; elected as a Democratic Republican to the tenth congress, to fill vacancy caused by the
death of John Claiborne; reëlected to the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth
congresses and served from November 7, 1808, until his death in Brunswick county, Virginia, July
4, 1816.
[Page 109]
Giles, William B. (q. v.).
[Pages 109-110]
Goggin, William L., born in Bedford county, Virginia, May 31, 1807;
pursued an academic course; studied law, admitted to the bar in 1828; began practice in
Winchester, Virginia; member of house of delegates in 1836; elected as a Whig to the twenty-sixth
and twenty-seventh congresses (March 4, 1839-March 3, 1843); elected to the twenty-eighth
congress to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of Thomas W. Gilmer, and served from May 10,
1844, to March 4, 1845; reëlected to the thirtieth congress (March 4, 1847-March 3, 1849);
defeated as the Whig candidate for governor in 1860; died in Richmond, Virginia, January 5, 1870.
[Page 110]
Goode, Samuel, born at "Whitby," Chesterfield county, Virginia,
March 21, 1756; completed preparatory studies; was a lieutenant in the Chesterfield troop of
horse during the revolution, and later a colonel of militia; member of the Virginia house of
burgesses, 1779-1783; elected tot he sixth congress (March 4, 1799-March 3, 1801); died in
Mecklenburg county, Virginia, November 14, 1822. He was a son of Col. Robert Goode and Sally
Bland, his wife, daughter of Richard Bland, the celebrated statesman of the revolution.
[Page 110]
Goode, William Osborne, born in Mecklenburg county, Virginia,
September 16, 1798 son of John C. Good, of "Inglewood," Mecklenburg county, and Lucy Claiborne,
his wife; was graduated from William and Mary College in 1819; studied law, and in 1821 was
admitted to the bar and began practice in Boydton; served several years in the house of
delegates; elected as a democrat to the twenty-seventh congress (March 4, 1841-March 3, 1843);
again served several terms as member of the house of delegates, and as speaker three terms; a
delegate to the state constitutional convention In 1850; elected to the thirty-third,
thirty-fourth, thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth congresses and served from March 4, 1853, until his
death in Boydton, Virginia, July 3, 1859.
[Page 110]
Goodwin, Peterson, was born about 1745, in Dinwiddie county;
completed preparatory studies; studied law and was admitted to the bar; elected to the eighth,
ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth congresses, and served from
March 4, 1803, until his death, February 21, 1818. He was a son of Joseph Goodwin, of Dinwiddie
county.
[Pages 110-111]
Gordon, William Fitzhugh, born in Germanna, Orange county,
Virginia, January 13, 1787, grandson on the paternal side of John Gordon, of Lancaster county,
Virginia, who about 1727 came to America from Newry, county Down, Ireland, and his grandmother on
the maternal side was a first cousin of Benjamin Harrison, signer of the Declaration of
Independence, governor of Virginia, and father of President William Henry Harrison; Gen. Gordon
removed in early life from Orange to Albemarle county, Virginia; attended country schools;
studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in Charlottesville, Virginia; was a member of
the state general assembly from that district at the time of the establishment of the University
of Virginia, under the auspices of Mr. Jefferson, whom he materially assisted in the legislative
development of his plans; member of the state house of delegates, 1819-1831; member of congress
from Virginia, 1829-1835, and signalized his term of service by introducing, in 1834, the bill
for the establishment of the independent treasury or sub-treasury system of the United States,
which was passed without much opposition and has since remained among the Federal statutes
practically unchanged; for many years a prominent figure in the Virginia militia, and at the time
of his death held the commission of major-general. Crosby says of him: "In early life (Gen.
Gordon attained a high position in the state, and although he had not participated in the strife
of politics for many years past, yet to the day of his death he was esteemed among the worthiest
of the Democratic leaders; he was a rigid disciple of the states' rights school, and an
inflexible champion of the rights of the South; a fervid oratory was his most characteristic
talent, and incorruptible integrity his distinguishing virtue; in the relations of private life
he commanded universal respect, and among his more intimate friends he was regarded with a warm
and constant affection." Gen. Gordon married Elizabeth Lindsay, of Albemarle county, Virginia,
daughter of Col. Reuben Lindsay, who advanced £1,000 to the cause of American independence,
and then, entering the army, rendered important service throughout the revolution and received
the particular thanks of Gen. Washington after the battle of Yorktown; he further showed his
devoted patriotism by refusing a repayment of his original loan and never claiming the land
bounty awarded him for his services. Gen. Gordon died at his home near Gordonsville, Albemarle
county, Virginia, August 28, 1858.
[Page 111]
Gray, Edwin, born in Southampton county, Virginia, in 1769, son of
Col. Joseph Gray, burgess (q. v., vol. I, p. 247); attended
the public schools; served in the house of burgesses, 1769-1774; member of the house of
delegates; elected to the state senate; member of the state constitutional conventions of 1774,
1775 and 1776; elected to the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth
congresses (March 4, 1799-March 3, 1813). ("Virginia Magazine of History and Biography," iii,
403)
[Page 111]
Gray, John C., born in Southampton county, Virginia; pursued an
academic course; elected to the sixteenth congress to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of
James Johnson, and served from November 18, 1820, to March 3, 1821.
[Page 111]
Griffin, Samuel, a descendant of Thomas Griffin, who received
grants of land in 1651, and brother of Judge Cyrus Griffin (q.
v.), was born in Richmond county, Virginia; studied and practiced law; served in the
revolution as colonel, deputy adjutant general Flying Camp, July 19, 1776; wounded at Harlem
Heights, October 12, 1776; in 1781 a member of the state board of war; of the house of delegates
from Williamsburg, 1787 and 1788; member of congress 1789-1795. He died November 3, 1810. He had
only one daughter, Elizabeth Corbin, who married (first) Samuel Gatliffe, and (second) Prof.
Ferdinand Stewart Campbell, of William and Mary College.
[Page 111]
Griffin, Thomas, was born in 1773, son of Dr. Corbin Griffin, of
Yorktown, Virginia, who was a member of the York county committee of safety (1775-1776), and
surgeon in the Virginia line during the revolution; member of the house of delegates, 1793-98-99,
1800, 1803-04-95, 1819-20, 1821, 1822, 1826, 1830; member of congress in the eighth congress
(March 4, 1803-March 4, 1805); second in command in the fight near Hampton during the war of
1812. He married his cousin Mary, daughter of Judge Cyrus Griffin. He died October 7, 1837.
[Pages 111-112]
Hancock, George, born in Fincastle, Botetourt county, Virginia,
June 13, 1754; pursued classical studies; served in the revolutionary war as colonel of infantry,
Virginia line, and was taken prisoner at the siege of Savannah, Georgia; was paroled and returned
to Virginia; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in Fincastle; elected as a
Democratic Republican to the third and fourth congresses (March 4, 1793-March 3, 1797); died at
Fotheringay, Virginia, July 18, 1820.
[Page 112]
Harris, John Thomas, born in Albemarle county, Virginia, May 8,
1823, son of Nathan and Ann (Anderson) Harris; his family, who were among the earliest emigrants
from England to the Virginia colony, were extensive planters and conspicuous in local affairs;
the son received an academic education, and while engaged in the study of law taught school in
Augusta county, Virginia; then attended Judge Thompson's Law School at Staunton, and upon
graduation established himself at Harrisonburg, Rockingham county, Virginia, for the practice of
his profession; took an active part in politics, and in 1852 as elected commonwealth's attorney,
to which office he was reëlected in 1856, and served until 1859; presidential elector on the
Buchanan ticket in 1856; elected as a Democrat to the thirty-sixth congress (March 4, 1859-March
3, 1861), where he was conspicuous as an ardent advocate for the Union; before the secession of
Virginia, however, he cast his lot with the fortunes of his state, serving two terms in the
Virginia house of delegates during the war, 1863-1865; judge of the twelfth judicial circuit,
1866-1869, and thought while in this station he decided many novel legal questions growing out of
the war, in only one instance was his opinion reversed by the court of appeals; elected as a
Democrat to the forty-second, forty-third, forty-fourth, forty-fifth and forty-sixth congresses
(March 4, 1871-March 3, 1881); declined a unanimous renomination; during Democratic ascendancy in
that body he served as chairman of the committees on
election, on revision of the laws, and as second upon the judiciary; he ranked as one of the
ablest parliamentarians in that body; chairman of Virginia Democratic convention in 1884;
delegate to several democratic national conventions; presidential elector on the Cleveland ticket
in 1888; commissioner to the World's Fair at Chicago; after his retirement from politics he
actively and successfully engaged in the practice of his profession; he married, in 1855,
Virginia Maupin Miller, and they had seven children; he died at Harrisonburg, Virginia, October
14, 1899.
[Page 112]
Harris, William Alexander, born near Warrenton, Fauquier county,
Virginia, August 24, 1805; completed an academic course; studied law, was admitted to the bar,
and commenced practice in Luray; member of the house of delegates; presidential elector on the
Van Buren and Johnson ticket in 1840; elected as a Democrat to the twenty-seventh congress (March
4, 1841-March 3, 1843); editor of the "Spectator" and the "Constitution" in Washington, D. C.;
chargé d'affaires to the Argentine Republic, 1846-1851; moved to Missouri and then back to
Washington; editor of the "Washington Union," and printer to the United States senate, 1857-1859;
died in Pike county, Missouri, March 28, 1864.
[Page 112]
Harrison, Carter Bassett, son of Governor Benjamin Harrison,
studied at William and Mary College; lived in Prince George county; member of the house of
delegates in 1784, and of the third, fourth and fifth congresses (March 4, 1793-March 4, 1799);
married Mary Howell Allen, daughter of Col. William Allen, of "Claremont," Surry county,
Virginia.
[Page 113]
Hawes, Aylett, native of Culpeper county, Virginia; pursued a
classical course; studied medicine; elected as a Democratic Republican to the twelfth, thirteenth
and fourteenth congresses (March 4, 1811-March 3, 1817); resumed the practice of medicine; died
in Culpeper county, Virginia, August 31, 1833.
[Page 113]
Hayes, Samuel L., native of Pennsylvania; moved to Stuards Creek,
Virginia; elected as a Democrat to the twenty-seventh congress (March 4, 1841-March 3, 1843).
[Page 113]
Haymond, Thomas S., native of Virginia; elected to the thirty-first
congress to fill vacancy caused by the death of Alexander Newman, and served from December 3,
1849 to March 3, 1851.
[Page 113]
Heath, John, son of John Heth, was born in Northumberland county,
Virginia, and studied at William and Mary College; was one of the founders of the Phi Beta Kappa
Society, December 5, 1776, and its first president; served in the house of delegates, 1782, when
barely twenty-one; a member of the third and fourth congresses (March 4, 1793-March 4, 1797);
died in Richmond, October 3, 1810, while serving in the council of John Tyler, Sr. His son, James
E. Heath, was state auditor.
[Page 113]
Hill, John, born in New Canton, Buckingham county, Virginia, July
18, 1800; completed preparatory studies and attended Washington and Lee University; studied law,
was admitted to the bar in 1821, and practiced; elected as a Whig to the twenty-sixth congress
(March 4, 1839-March 3, 1841); member of Virginia constitutional convention of 1850; commonwealth
attorney for several years, and county judge, 1870-1879; died at Buckingham Court House,
Virginia, April 19, 1880.
[Page 113]
Holladay, Alexander Richmond, born at "Prospect Hill," Spotsylvania
county, Virginia, September 18, 1811; attended the public schools, received special training
under John Lewis, of Spotsylvania county, and attended the University of Virginia; studied law,
was admitted to the bar, and practiced in Spotsylvania, Orange and Louisa counties; member of the
house of burgesses, and held several local offices; elected as a Democrat to the thirty-first and
thirty-second congresses; declined a renomination; moved to Richmond, Virginia, in 1853, and
practiced law; president of the Virginia board of public works, 1857-1861; died in Richmond,
Virginia, January 29, 1877.
[Page 113]
Holleman, Joel, born in Isle of Wight county, Virginia, October 1,
1799; completed preparatory studies; studied law; admitted to the bar and began practice at
Burwell Bay; elected as a Van Buren Democrat to the twenty-sixth congress, and served from March
4, 1839, until 1840, when he resigned; again elected a member of the state house of burgesses and
served as speaker; died in Smithfield, Virginia, August 5, 1844.
[Pages 113-114]
Holmes, David, born at Mary Ann Furnace, York county, Pennsylvania,
March 10, 1770. He pursued classical studies; studied law and was admitted to the bar; he held
several local offices. He was elected to the fifth congress and to five succeeding congresses
(March 4, 1797-March 3, 1809), He was appointed by President Jefferson as governor of the
territory of Mississippi, March 7, 1809, and served from July 1 of that year to 1817, and was
governor of the state from October 7, 1817, to January 5, 1820, when he was appointed to the
United States senate to fill vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Walter Leaks. He was
subsequently elected senator, and served from August 30, 1820, to September 25, 1825, when he
resigned. He returned to Winchester, Virginia, in 1827, and died at Jordon's Springs, Virginia,
August 20, 1832.
[Page 114]
Hopkins, George Washington, born in Goochland county, Virginia,
February 22, 1804; attended the common schools; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and began
practice in Lebanon, Virginia; member of the house of delegates, 1833-1834; elected as a Democrat
to the twenty-fourth and to the five succeeding congresses (March 4, 1835-March 3, 1847);
chargé d'affaires to Portugal, March 3, 1847, to October 18, 1849; again a member of the
house of delegates in 1849; judge of the circuit court; elected to the thirty-fifth congress
(March 4, 1857-March 3, 1859); again elected to the house of delegates; died March 2, 1861.
[Page 114]
Hubard, Edmund Willcox, son of Dr. James Thruston Hubard and
Susanna Willcox, his wife, was born February 20, 1806; was elected as ad Democrat to the
twenty-seventh, twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth congresses (March 4, 1841-March 4, 1847); married
Sarah Eppes; died December 9, 1872.
[Page 114]
Hungerford, John Pratt, born in Leeds, Westmoreland county,
Virginia, January 2, 1761; received a thorough English training; served in the revolutionary war;
member of the house of delegates for several terms; presented credentials as a Democratic
Republican to the twelfth congress, and served from March 4, 1811, to December 2, 1811, when he
was succeeded by John Taliaferro, who contested his election; elected to the thirteenth and
fourteenth congresses (March 4, 1813-March 3, 1817); served in the war of 1812 as
brigadier-general of militia; died at Twiford, Westmoreland county, Virginia, December 21, 1833.
[Page 114]
Jackson, Edward B., native of Clarksburg, Harrison county, West
Virginia; pursued an academic course in the Clarksburg Male Academy; studied medicine and
commenced practice in Clarksburg; elected to the sixteenth congress, to fill vacancy caused by
the resignation of James Tindall; re-elected to the seventeenth congress, and served from
November 30, 1820, to March 3, 1823; died in Clarksburg, West Virginia, September 8, 1826.
[Page 114]
Jackson, George, a representative from Virginia, served in the
fifth congress.
[Page 113]
Jackson, John George, born in Clarksburg, Harrison county,
Virginia, in 1774; received an English training, and became a civil engineer; appointed surveyor
of public lands of what is now the state of Ohio in 1793; member of the Virginia house of
delegates, 1797-1801; elected as a Republican to the eighth, and to the three succeeding
congresses, and served form March 4, 1803, until 1810, when he resigned; again state
representative, 1811-1812; chosen brigadier-general of militia; re-elected as a Democrat to the
thirteenth and fourteenth congresses (March 4, 1813-March 3, 1917); declined a re-election to the
fifteenth congress; appointed United States district judge for the western district of Virginia
in 1819, and served until his death in Clarksburg, Virginia, March 29, 1825.
[Page 115]
Jenkins, Albert Gallatin, (q.
v.).
[Page 115]
Johnson, James, son of Col. Philip Johnson, of York county; studied
at William and Mary College about 1795; represented Isle of Wight county in house burgesses;
elected as a Republican to the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth congresses, and
served from March 4, 1813, until February 1, 1820, when he resigned to become customs collector
of Norfolk; died in Norfolk, Virginia, December 7, 1825.
[Page 115]
Johnston, Charles C., born in Abingdon, Virginia, in 1795; received
a liberal schooling; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced at Abingdon, Virginia;
elected to the twenty-second congress (March 4, 1831-March 3, 1833); died in Alexandria,
Virginia, June 17, 1832
[Page 115]
Jones, James, born in Amelia (now Nottoway) county, Virginia,
December 11, 1772; attended Hampden-Sidney College, Virginia, the Jefferson Medical College,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was graduated in medicine from the University of Edinburgh,
Scotland, in 1796; returned to Amelia county, and practiced medicine and engaged in planting;
several times a member of the state house of delegates; privy councillor of Virginia four
consecutive terms; a presidential elector; defeated candidate for th fifteenth congress, to fill
a vacancy, elected as a Republican to the sixteenth and seventeenth congresses (March 4,
1819-March 3, 1823); died at his estate "Mountain Hall," Nottoway county, Virginia, April 25,
1848.
[Page 115]
Jones, John Winston, son of Alexander Jones and Mary Anne Winston,
his wife, was born in Chesterfield county, Virginia, November 22, 1791; was a scholar at William
and Mary College in 1803; elected as a democrat to the twenty-fourth, and to the four succeeding
congresses (March 4, 1835-March 3, 1845); speaker of the House of Representatives in the
twenty-eighth congress; declined a re-election; died in Petersburg, Virginia, January 29, 1848.
He was a grandson of Col. John Jones, of Amelia county, and Elizabeth Crawley, his wife, Peter
Jones, founder of Petersburg, was of the same family. (See William and Mary College quarterly,
XIX., 287).
[Page 115]
Jones, Joseph, (q. v.).
[Page 115]
Jones, Walter, (q. v.).
[Page 115]
Kerr, John, born in Caswell county, North Carolina, Augusta 4,
1782; attended common schools, studied theology and was licensed as a Baptist minister in 1802;
located in Halifax county, Virginia, in 1805; elected to the thirteenth and fourteenth congresses
(March 4, 1813-March 3, 1817); resumed the ministry, and was pastor of the Baptist churches of
Arbor and Mary Creek; moved to Richmond, Virginia, in March, 1825, and was pastor of the First
Baptist Church; resigned in 1832; located on a farm near Danville, Virginia, in 1836, and died
there September 29, 1842.
[Pages 115-116]
Kicwell, Zedekiah, born in Fairfax county, Virginia, January 4,
1814; received a liberal schooling; studied medicine and was graduated from Jefferson Medical
College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1839, and practiced in Fairfax county, Virginia,
1839-1849; studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1849; moved to Fairmont, Virginia; member
of the house of delegates; delegate in the state constitutional convention of 1850; president
elector on the Democratic ticket in 1852; elected as a Democrat to the thirty-third and
thirty-fourth congresses (March 4, 1853-March 3, 1857); elected a member of the state board of
public works in 1857; died in Fairmont, West Virginia, April 27, 1872.
[Page 116]
Leake, Shelton Farrar, born in Albemarle county, Virginia, November
30, 1812, son of Dr. Samuel and Sophia (Farrar) Leake, grandson of Capt. Mark and Patience
(Morris) Leake, great-grandson of Walter and Judith (Mark) Leake, and great-great-grandson of
William Leake, who came from England about 1685, and settled in what is now Gloucester county,
Virginia; completed preparatory studies; taught school for three years; studied law, was admitted
to the bar in 1835 at Charlottesville, Virginia, and commenced practice there; member of the
state house of burgesses in 1842; representative in congress from Virginia, 1845-1847;
presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1848; elected lieutenant-governor In 1851; three
years later was a candidate for governor, but after a very close vote was defeated for the
Democratic nomination by Henry A. Wise; was again elected to the national congress (March 4,
1859-March 3, 1861) and served on the committee on manufactures; took part in the civil war, and
at its close withdrew from politics and practiced his profession, in which he was eminently
successful; he was a criminal lawyer of great ability, possessing a combination of pathos and
pure English and scintillating wit; he married, in 1844, Rebecca Gray; died at his home in
Virginia in the year 1844.
[Page 116]
Lee, Henry, (q. v.).
[Page 116]
Lee, Richard Bland, was born at "Leesylvania," Prince William
county, January 20, 1761 so of Henry Lee, of "Leesylvania," and Lucy Grymes, his wife, and a
great-grandson of Richard Lee, the immigrant; pursued English and classical studies in private
schools, and attended William and Mary College; served in the Virginia legislature in 1784, and
other years, and was a member of the first, second and third congresses from March 4, 1789, to
March 4, 1795. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Stephen and Mary Parish Collins, of
Philadelphia; died March 12, 1827.
[Page 116]
Leffler, Isaac, born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, November
7, 1788; attended public schools, and was graduated from Jefferson college, Pennsylvania; studied
law, was admitted to the bar, and began practice in Wheeling, Virginia, (now West Virginia);
member of state house of delegates, 1817-1825; elected to the twentieth congress as a
representative from Virginia (March 4, 1827-March 3, 1829); moved to that portion of Michigan
territory that is now Des Moines county, Iowa, in 1835; after the creation of Wisconsin
territory, April 20, 1836, represented Des Moines county in the first legislature of the new
territory, 1836-1837; admitted to the Des Moines county bar, April 15, 1835, and practiced; chief
justice of the first judicial tribunal of Des Moines county, April 11, 1836; member of the house
of representatives of the territory of Iowa in 1841; appointed by President Tyler United States
marshal for the district of Iowa, December 18, 1843, confirmed January 16, 1844, and removed by
President Polk, December 29, 1845; appointed by President Fillmore receiver of public moneys for
the Chariton, Iowa, land district, August 30, 1852, and was removed by President Pierce, March
29, 1853.
[Page 117]
Leftwich, Jabez, born in Caroline county, Virginia, in 1766; moved
with parents to Bedford county in 1770; attended the common schools; inspector general with the
rank of colonel on the staff of his brother, Gen. Joel Leftwich, in the revolution; represented
Bedford county in the state legislature, 1812-1821; elected to the seventeenth and eighteenth
congresses (March 4, 1821-March 3, 1825); defeated for the nineteenth congress; removed to
Madison county, Alabama, in 1825; member of the Alabama legislature; died near Huntsville,
Alabama, June 22, 1855. He was the son of Augustine Leftwich, who died in 1795.
[Page 117]
Lewis, Charles S., native of Clarksburg, West Virginia; completed
preparatory studies; elected as a Democrat to the thirty-third congress, to fill vacancy caused
by the death of John F. Snodgrass, and served from December 4, 1854, to March 3, 1855.
[Page 117]
Lewis, Joseph, Jr., born in Virginia in 1772; elected as a
Federalist to the eighth, and to the six succeeding congresses (March 4, 1803-March 3, 1817);
died at Clifton, Virginia, March 30, 1834.
[Page 117]
Lewis, Thomas, born in Augusta county, Virginia; attended the
common schools; presented credentials as a representative-elect to the eighth congress, and
served from March 4, 1803, to March 5, 1804, when he was succeeded by Andrew Moore, who contested
his election. By formal action of the house of representatives, counsel for the claimants were
heard at the bar of the house in this case.
[Page 117]
Lewis, William J., born near Lynchburg, Virginia; attended the
common schools; member of the house of delegates; elected as a Republican to the fifteenth
congress March 4, 1817-March 3, 1819); died near Lynchburg, Virginia, November 1, 1828.
[Page 117]
Love, John, pursued an academic course; elected as a Republican to
the tenth and eleventh congresses (March 4, 1807-March 3, 1811); died August 17, 1822.)
[Page 117]
Loyall, George, born in Norfolk, Virginia, May 29, 1789; was
graduated from William and Mary College in 1808; visited England in 1815; member of the house of
delegates in 1817-1827; delegate in the state constitutional convention of 1829; successfully
contested the election of Thomas Newton to the twenty-first congress, and served from March 9,
1830, to March 3, 1831; reëlected to the twenty-third and twenty-fourth congresses (March 4,
1833-March 3, 1837); navy agent in Norfolk, Virginia, 1837-1861, with the exception of two years;
died in Norfolk, Virginia, February 24, 1868.
[Page 117]
Lucas, Edward, born in Jefferson county, Virginia (now West
Virginia), October 22, 1790; attended the common schools and Dickinson College, Carlisle,
Pennsylvania; officer in the war of 1812; studied law, was admitted to the bar, but did not
practice; member of the house of delegates; elected as a Jackson Democrat to the twenty-third and
twenty-fourth congresses (March 4, 1833-March 3, 1837); military storekeeper of ordinance at the
Harper's Ferry Armory, May 12, 1847); military storekeeper of ordnance at the Harper's Ferry
Armory, May 12, 1847, until his death, in Harper's Ferry, Virginia, March 4, 1858.
[Pages 117-118]
Lucas, William, born near Charles Town, Jefferson county, West
Virginia, November 30, 1800; attended the public schools in Charles Town; studied law, was
admitted to the bar, and practiced in Charles Town, West Virginia; elected as a Democrat to the
twenty-sixth congress (March 4, 1839-March 3, 1841); reëlected to the twenty-eighth congress
(March 4, 1843-March 3, 1845); died on his farm in Jefferson county, West Virginia, August 29,
1877.
[Page 118]
Machir, James, native of Virginia; elected to the fifth congress
(March 4, 1797-March 3, 1799); died June 25, 1827.
'[Page 118]
Mallory, Francis, son of Charles King Mallory, lieutenant-governor
of Virginia during the war of 1812, born near Hampton, Elizabeth City county, Virginia, December
12, 1807; attended the common schools; located in Hampton; was appointed midshipman in the United
States navy in 1822; resigned in 1826; studied law, and medicine, and was graduated from the
medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, in 1830, and practiced in Norfolk,
Virginia; abandoned practice of medicine and moved to his farm in Elizabeth City county; elected
as a Whig to the twenty-fifth, twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh congresses (March 4. 1837-March 4,
1843); and supported the administration of John Tyler; appointed navy agent at Norfolk, November
1, 1850; president of Norfolk & Petersburg Railroad Company, 1853-1859; died in Norfolk,
Virginia, March 26, 1860. He married (first) Mary Frances Wright, daughter of Col. Stephen Wright
of Norfolk, Virginia, by whom he had eleven children.
[Page 118]
Martin, Elbert S., native of Virginia; attended the pubic schools;
elected as a Democrat to the thirty-sixth congress (March 4, 1859-March 3, 1861).
[Page 118]
Mason, John Young, born in Greenville county, Virginia, April 18,
1799; attended the common schools of his neighborhood, later the University of North Carolina,
from which he graduated in 1816; studied law in Litchfield, Connecticut, was admitted to the bar
in 1819, and commenced practice in Hicksford, Virginia, which soon became extensive and
lucrative; elected to the Virginia assembly in young manhood, and served for a number of years;
member of the state constitutional convention in 1829; elected a member of the United States
house of representatives in 1831, remained until 1837, then appointed judge of the United States
district for Virginia; secretary of the navy, March 14, 1844-March 1845, and September 9,
1846-March 8, 1849; attorney-general from March 6, 1845, to September 9, 1846; at the ent of
President Polk's administration, John Y. Mason went to Richmond, Virginia, and engaged in the
practice of law; was a member of the constitutional convention of Virginia, and presided over the
deliberations of that body; in 1853 was appointed minister to France by President Franklin
Pierce, was reappointed by President Buchanan, and remained abroad for the rest of his life, his
death occurring in Paris, France, October 3, 1859.
[Page 118]
Maxwell, Lewis, native of Virginia; located at Weston; elected as a
Whig to the twentieth, twenty-third and twenty-second congresses (March 4, 1827-March 3, 1844).
[Pages 118-119]
McCarty, William Mason, son of Col. Daniel McCarty, of Westmoreland
county, Virginia, and Sarah Mason, his wife, daughter of George Mason, who wrote the Virginia
Declaration of Rights, was educated at William and Mary College in 1813-1814; studied and
practiced law; member of the Virginia senate, 1832-34-38-39; and member of the twenty-sixth
congress, to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Charles F. Mercer, and served from
January 25, 1840, to March 4, 1842; provisional governor of Florida.
[Page 119]
McComas, William, native of Virginia; elected as a Whig to the
twenty-third and twenty-fourth congresses (March 4, 1833-March 3, 1837).
[Page 119]
McCoy, William, native of Augusta county, Virginia; elected as a
Jackson Democrat to the twelfth, and to the ten succeeding congresses (March 4, 1811-March 3,
1833).
[Page 119]
McDowell, James (q. v.).
[Page 119]
McKinley, William, native of Virginia; elected as a Republican to
the eleventh congress, to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of John G. Jackson, and served
from December 21, 1810, to March 3, 1811.
[Page 119]
Meade, Richard Kidder, born in Frederick county, Virginia, in 1795;
pursued an academic course; studied law, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in
Petersburg, Virginia; elected as a Democrat to the thirtieth, thirty-first and thirty-second
congresses (March 4, 1847-March 3, 1853); declined the appointment of chargé d'affaires to
Sardinia tendered by President Pierce in 1853; minister to Brazil by the nomination of President
Buchanan, July 27, 1857, to July 9, 1861; returned to Virginia and devoted himself to the cause
of the Confederacy; died in Petersburg, Virginia, April 20, 1862. He was a son of Richard Kidder
Meade, aide-de-camp; to Washington, and grandson of David Meade, of Nansemond county, and Susanna
Everard, his wife, daughter of Sir Thomas Everard, governor of North Carolina.
[Pages 119-120]
Mercer, Charles Fenton, born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, June 6,
1778, son of James and Eleanor (Dick) Mercer, and grandson of John Mercer, an emigrant from
Dublin, Ireland, who settled at Marlboro, Stafford county, Virginia, where he occupied a high
legal position, and was the compiler of a collection of Virginia laws, known as "Mercer's
Abridgement;" his father (1749-93), a native of Virginia, was graduated at William and Mary
College in 1767, was a prominent lawyer of the state, member of the Virginia conventions of
1774-1775-1776, member of the Virginia house of burgesses, of the committee of safety, of the
continental congress, served in congress during 1779-80, and was a judge of the state court of
appeals; said to have drawn up the will of George Washington's mother; Charles F. Mercer
graduated from Princeton College in 1797; lieutenant and captain of cavalry in the United States
army 1798-1800; studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1802, and after making a tour of Europe
during 1802-03, returned to the UNITED States and settled in practice in Aldie, Loudoun county,
Virginia; in 1811 was again called to military duty by the general government, was appointed
aid-de-camp to the governor in 1813, and rose to the rank of brigadier-general of militia in
command of the forces at Norfolk; member o the state house of representatives, 1810-1817, and in
1816 was appointed chairman of the committee on finance, in which capacity he brought forward a
bill for the construction of the Chesapeake
& Ohio canal; to this end a company was afterwards formed, of which he was elected president; in
1816-17 he introduced in the Virginia legislature a bill for the promotion of pubic education,
including a university, colleges, academies and primary schools, which passed the house of
delegates, but was lost in the senate by a tie vote; this bill preceded that of Mr. Jefferson for
the establishment of the University of Virginia; elected as a Republican to the fifteenth, and to
the eleven succeeding congresses, and served from March 4, 1817, to December 26, 1839, when he
resigned; he was an ardent supporter of Monroe and John Quincy Adams, but an opponent of Jackson
and Van Buren; he favored the protection of American industries, and was earnest and outspoken in
his opposition to the African slave trade; it is said that he was the first to place before
congress a resolution for the elimination of slavery from the United States, and in 1853 he
visited Europe in the interest of abolition, consulting with many eminent men on the subject; for
some years he was prominent as president of the American Colonization Society; he wrote "The
Weakness and Inefficiency of the Government of the United States," which was published in London
after his death (1863); he died unmarried, at Howard, Fairfax county, Virginia, near Alexandria,
May 4, 1858, and is buried at Leesburg, Virginia.
[Page 120]
Millson, John Singleton, born in Norfolk, Virginia, October 1,
1808; pursued an academic course; studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1829, and commenced
practice in Norfolk; residential elector on the Polk-Dallas ticket in 1844, and on the
Cass-Butler ticket in 1848; elected as a Democrat to the thirty-first, and to the five succeeding
congresses (March 4, 149-March 3, 1861); resumed the practice of law; died in Norfolk, Virginia,
February 26, 1873.
[Page 120]
Moore, Samuel McDowell, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
February 9, 1796, son of Andrew Moore (q. v.); attended the
public schools, and Washington College; located in Lexington, Virginia; member of Virginia
constitutional conventions of 1829 and 1861; elected as a Whig to the twenty-third congress
(March 4, 1833-March 3, 1835); unsuccessful candidate for reëlection to the twenty-fourth
congress; served in the Confederate army; died in Lexington, Virginia, September 17, 1875.
[Page 120]
Moore, Thomas L., born in Jefferson county, Virginia; pursued an
academic course; elected to the sixteenth congress, to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of
George L. Strother; reëelected to the seventeenth congress, and served from November 13,
1820, to March 3, 1823.
[Pages 120-121]
Morgan, Daniel, born in Hunterdon county, New Jersey, in 1736;
moved to Virginia; commissioned captain of a company of Virginia riflemen in July, 1775; taken
prisoner at Quebec, December 31, 1775; colonel of the Eleventh Virginia Regiment, November 12,
1776; regiment designated the Seventh Virginia, September 14, 1778; brigadier-general in the
Continental army, October 30, 1780; given thanks of congress and a gold medal (resolution of
March 9, 1781) "for fortitude and good conduct of himself, and officers and men under his
command, in the action at the Cowpens, S. C., January 17, 1781;" served to the close of the war,
and then retired to his estate known as "Saratoga," near Winchester, Virginia; commanded the
Virginia militia ordered out by President Washington in 1794 to suppress the whisky insurrection
in Pennsylvania; presented credentials as a member-elect to the fifth congress as a Federalist,
and the election was unsuccessfully contested by Robert Rutherford; served from March 4, 1797,
until March 3, 1799; declined reëlection on account of ill health; died in Winchester,
Virginia, July 6, 1802.