Williamson Simpson Oldham

Williamson Simpson Oldham Sr. (June 19, 1813 – May 8, 1868) was an American politician who served in Arkansas state government, and as a Confederate States Senator from Texas from 1862 to 1865.

Williamson Simpson Oldham, Sr.
Confederate States Senator
from Texas
In office
February 18, 1862 – March 18, 1865
Preceded byNew constituency
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Deputy from Texas
to the Provisional Congress
of the Confederate States
In office
February 4, 1861 – February 17, 1862
Preceded byNew constituency
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
Born(1813-06-19)June 19, 1813
Franklin County, Tennessee
DiedMay 8, 1868(1868-05-08) (aged 54)
Houston, Texas
Resting placeMasonic Cemetery,
Eagle Lake, Texas
Political partyDemocratic

Biography

Born in Franklin County, Tennessee, Oldham settled at Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 1835, was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1838 and 1842. He was elected as a justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court in 1842. In 1848 he resigned to run for Congress, but was defeated, thereafter moving to Austin, Texas.[1] He represented Texas in the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1862, and was a senator in both the First and Second Confederate States congresses from 1862 to 1865. Oldham died on May 8, 1868.[2]

Legacy

Oldham County, Texas (established 1881), is named after him.

In Harry Turtledove's 1994 alternative history novel, Guns of the South, a "Congressman Oldham" from Texas is mentioned as sponsoring a bill to re-enslave freedmen in a victorious Confederacy. Since the setting was the time of the 2nd Confederate States Congress, it is likely that Turtledove was referring to Senator Oldham.

References
  1. Fay Hempstead, Historical Review of Arkansas (1911), p. 452.
  2. Williamson Simpson Oldham. Retrieved November 22, 2015.


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