William Fitzgerald (Tennessee politician)

William Fitzgerald (August 6, 1799 – March 1864) was an American politician who represented Tennessee's 9th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.[1] He was also a slave owner.[2][3]

William Fitzgerald
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Tennessee's 9th district
In office
March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833
Preceded byDavy Crockett
Succeeded byJames K. Polk
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
In office
1825-1826
Personal details
Born(1799-08-06)August 6, 1799
Port Tobacco, Maryland, U.S.
DiedMarch 1864(1864-03-00) (aged 64)
Paris, Tennessee, U.S.
Resting placeFitzgerald Cemetery
near Paris, Tennessee, U.S.
Political partyJacksonian
Spouse
Elizabeth Wells
​
(m. 1822)​
Profession
  • Lawyer
  • politician

Biography

Fitzgerald was born at Port Tobacco in Charles County, Maryland, on August 6, 1799. In 1806, he moved with his father to Dover, Tennessee. He was educated in England and studied law. He was admitted to the bar at Dover, Tennessee in 1821. In 1822, he married Elizabeth Wells, who was born near Clarksville, Tennessee.[4]

Career

Between 1822 and 1825 Fitzgerald was the circuit court clerk for Stewart County.[5] He was a member of Tennessee house of representatives from 1825 to 1826.[5][6] He was elected solicitor general of the sixteenth solicitorial district of Tennessee on November 25, 1826, which he held until he vacated the role on March 4, 1831.[4][5][6][7]

Fitzgerald was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-second Congress, which lasted from March 4, 1831 to March 3, 1833.[5][8] He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election to the Twenty-third Congress in 1832. He moved to Paris, Tennessee and served as judge of the ninth judicial circuit of Tennessee from 1845 to 1861.[5][9] In 1861, he was nominated as a representative from Tennessee's ninth congressional district to attend a peace conference in 1861 in an effort to prevent the pending Civil War; Isaac Roberts Hawkins was elected to that role.[10]

Death

Fitzgerald died at Paris, Tennessee in March 1864 (age about 64 years). He was interred in Fitzgerald Cemetery near Paris, Tennessee.[5][11]

References
  1. "Bioguide Search". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  2. Weil, Julie Zauzmer; Blanco, Adrian; Dominguez, Leo. "More than 1,700 congressmen once enslaved Black people. This is who they were, and how they shaped the nation". Washington Post. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  3. "Congress slaveowners", The Washington Post, January 27, 2022, retrieved January 29, 2022
  4. "William Fitzgerald" (PDF). FITZGERALD-WILLIAMS-GREER FAMILY PAPERS. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  5. "William Fitzgerald". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  6. "Nashville - Saturday evening. November 25". National Banner and Nashville Whig. Nashville, TN. November 25, 1826. p. 3. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  7. "Nashville - August 26, 1830 (sic)". National Banner and Nashville Whig. Nashville, TN. August 26, 1831. p. 3. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  8. "William Fitzgerald". Govtrack US Congress. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  9. "Election of Judges". Tri-Weekly Nashville Union. Nashville, TN. November 29, 1845. p. 2. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  10. "Ninth Congressional District". Nashville Union and American. Nashville, TN. January 26, 1861. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  11. "William Fitzgerald". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved February 24, 2013.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.