Alexander "Aleck" Boarman (December 10, 1839 – August 30, 1916) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

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 ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana The United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana (in case citations, W.D. La.) is a United States federal court with jurisdiction over approximately two thirds of the state of Louisiana, with courts in Alexandria, Lafayette, ...

. Previously, he served in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

and as Mayor of

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population o ...

, Louisiana.

Education and career

Born on December 10, 1839, in

Yazoo City Yazoo City is a U.S. city in Yazoo County, Mississippi. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's ...

, Yazoo County,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, Boarman lost his parents in infancy and was raised by relatives in

, Caddo Parish,

. He attended the common schools of Shreveport and

Kentucky Military Institute The Kentucky Military Institute (KMI) was a military preparatory school in Lyndon, Kentucky, and Venice, Florida, in operation from 1845 to 1971. Founding One of the oldest traditional military prep schools in the United States, KMI was maintain ...

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, graduated from Kentucky University (now

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...

) in 1860 and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in 1860. At the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, he enlisted in the

and served as lieutenant of the Caddo Rifles. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of captain and served throughout the war. He entered private practice in Shreveport from 1866 to 1868. He was the Mayor of Shreveport from May 7, 1866 to August 8, 1867. He was city attorney for Shreveport from 1868 to 1872. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election as

Secretary of State of Louisiana The secretary of state of Louisiana (french: Secrétaire d'État de la Louisiane) is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Louisiana and serves as the head of the Louisiana Department of State. The position was created ...

in 1872.

Civil War service

Boarman's regiment, the 1st Louisiana Infantry, became part of the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

. After one year of fighting, Boarman was promoted to the rank of captain in the

, which he held until 1865. He served as the acting assistant Adjutant-General in the Battle of Winchester. His commanding office wrote of the engagement:

Congressional service

Boarman was elected as a Liberal Republican from

Louisiana's 4th congressional district Louisiana's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The district is located in the northwestern part of the state and is based in Shreveport- Bossier City. It also includes the cities of Minden, De ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

of the 42nd United States Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

-elect James McCleery and served from December 3, 1872, to March 3, 1873.

Later career

Following his departure from Congress, Boarman resumed private practice in Shreveport from 1873 to 1877. He was a Judge of the Louisiana District Court for the Tenth Judicial District from 1877 to 1881.

Federal judicial service

Boarman was nominated by President

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

on May 18, 1881, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 21 Stat. 507. He was confirmed by 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 ...

on May 18, 1881, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on August 30, 1916, due to his death while on a visit in Loon Lake, Franklin County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He was interred in Oakland Cemetery in Shreveport.

References

Sources

* Louisiana State Bar Association, Mississippi State Bar Association, Bar Association of Arkansas, Texas Bar Association; ''"Report of the Louisiana State Bar Association, Volume 18"'', The Association, (1918) * Thompson, E.; ''"Law Notes, Volume 20"'', E. Thompson Co., (1917) * Judicial Conference of the United States. Bicentennial Committee; ''"Judges of the United States"'', The Conference, for sale by the U.S. G.P.O, (1983)

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boarman, Alexander 1839 births 1916 deaths People from Yazoo City, Mississippi Liberal Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives Members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana Louisiana Liberal Republicans Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana United States federal judges appointed by James A. Garfield 19th-century American judges Louisiana state court judges Mayors of Shreveport, Louisiana Confederate States Army officers People of Louisiana in the American Civil War Louisiana lawyers 19th-century American politicians United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law