Allen Taylor Caperton (November 21, 1810 – July 26, 1876) was an American politician who was a

United States senator 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 powe ...

from the State of

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

in 1875–1876. He was a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. He had been in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...

and

Virginia State Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

before 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 ...

. During the Civil War, he was a Confederate States senator.

Early life

Caperton, son of Hugh Caperton and Jane Erskine, was born near

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

, Monroe County, West Virginia (now

) on November 21, 1810. At the age of 14, he traveled by horseback to

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in ...

, to attend school. He later graduated from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

, then graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1832. He studied law in Staunton, Virginia, was admitted to the bar and practiced law. He was married to Harriett Echols.

Political career

Caperton was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1841–1842. He was elected a member of the Virginia Senate in 1844 and sat until 1848. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates again from 1857 to 1861. In 1850, he was a delegate to the State constitutional convention. In 1861, he was a member of the Virginia Secession Convention. During the Civil War, he was elected by the legislature of Virginia to be a member of the

Confederate States Senate The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly of the Confederate States of America that existed from 1861 to 1865. Its actions were for the most part concerned with measures to establish a new nat ...

in which he sat until 1865. After the war, he was the first ex-Confederate elected to the United States Senate, entering office as a Democrat from West Virginia, from March 4, 1875, until his death in Washington, D.C., on July 26, 1876. He was interred in Green Hill Cemetery in Union, West Virginia. His residence near Union,, " Elmwood," was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1976.

References

Retrieved on March 23, 2009

External links

* * , - 1810 births 1876 deaths Confederate States of America senators 19th-century American politicians Democratic Party United States senators from West Virginia People from Union, West Virginia People of Virginia in the American Civil War People of West Virginia in the American Civil War Virginia lawyers West Virginia Democrats Virginia Secession Delegates of 1861 Caperton family of Virginia and West Virginia Yale College alumni University of Virginia alumni West Virginia lawyers {{WestVirginia-politician-stub

Early life

Political career

See also

References

External links