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 ...

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.

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

See also

References

External links