Alexander Barrow I (March 27, 1801 – December 29, 1846) was a slave owner, lawyer and
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
from
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. He was a member of the
Whig Party. He was the half-brother of
Washington Barrow
George Washington Barrow (October 5, 1807 – October 19, 1866) was a slave owner, American politician, a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee's 8th congressional district; he later fought against the Union as a mem ...
, sharing the same father.
Born near
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, to Willie Barrow and his first wife Jane Green, Barrow attended the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
in
West Point, New York
West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...
, from 1816 to 1818. Then he
studied law and was
admitted to the bar
An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
, in 1822, commencing practice in Nashville.
Soon afterward he relocated to
Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
Feliciana Parish, or New Feliciana, French: Paroisse de Félicianne, was a parish of the Territory of Orleans and the state of Louisiana, formed in 1810 from West Florida territory. Given an increase in population, it was divided in 1824 into ...
, where he continued to
practice law. Later he abandoned his legal career to become a
planter.
Eventually, Alexander Barrow became involved in politics and was elected to the
Louisiana House of Representatives, where he served for several years. While in state office, he denounced bans on slave imports, and said that the state's "wealth and property" were attributable "fair and fully upon the labor of slaves."
In 1840 Barrow was elected a
Whig to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
, serving from 1841 until his death. There he was Chairman of the
Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds during the
27th Congress and of the
Committee on the Militia during the 27th and
28th Congresses. According to longtime Washington journalist
Benjamin Perley Poore
Benjamin Perley Poore (November 2, 1820 – May 30, 1887) was a prominent American newspaper correspondent, editor, and author in the mid-19th century. One of the most popular and prolific journalists of his era, he was an active partisan for the ...
, Barrow was "the handsomest man in the Senate."
[Poore, Ben. Perley, ''Perley's Reminiscences of Sixty Years in the National Metropolis'', Vol.1, p.292 (1886)]
Senator Barrow died in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, on December 29, 1846. His remains were interred in the family cemetery on
Afton Villa slave plantation, near
Bayou Sara, Louisiana
St. Francisville is a town in and the parish seat of, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,765 at the 2010 U.S. census, and 1,589 at the 2020 population estimates program. It is part of the Baton Rouge metropolita ...
.
Alexander and Mary Ann Barrow had three children, Alexander II, Willie Micajah, and Jane.
See also
*
List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899)
*
Robert Ruffin Barrow
Robert Ruffin Barrow (1798 – 1875) was one of the largest landowners and slave owner in the south before the American Civil War. He owned sixteen plantations, mostly in Louisiana, and had large landholdings in Texas. He also invested money in pr ...
References
Information of Barrow and his family <--''broken link 26 Apr 2015.''
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrow, Alexander
1801 births
1846 deaths
Politicians from Nashville, Tennessee
Whig Party United States senators from Louisiana
Members of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana Whigs
Louisiana lawyers
Tennessee lawyers
Farmers from Louisiana
American planters
American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law
19th-century American lawyers