Barnes Compton (November 16, 1830 – December 2, 1898) was a

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

of the fifth congressional district of

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 ...

and a

Treasurer of Maryland The Treasurer of Maryland is responsible for the management and investment of the cash deposits, bond sale revenue, and all other securities and collateral of the state of Maryland in the United States. In addition, the Treasurer conducts regular ...

Early life

Barnes Compton was born on November 16, 1830 in

Port Tobacco Port Tobacco, officially Port Tobacco Village, is a town in Charles County, in southern Maryland, United States. The population was 13 at the 2010 census, making Port Tobacco the smallest incorporated town in Maryland. Overview This was historical ...

Charles County, Maryland Charles County is a county in Southern Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. Charles County is part of the Wash ...

to Mary Clarissa (née Barnes) and William Penn Compton. His parents both died when he was young, and he was raised until 1843 by his grandfather, John Barnes. He attended the

Charlotte Hall Military Academy Charlotte Hall Military Academy, located at Charlotte Hall, Maryland, was established as Charlotte Hall School in 1774 by Queen Charlotte to provide for the liberal and pious education of youth to better fit them for the discharge of their duties ...

in St. Mary's County, Maryland for his formal education, and graduated from

Princeton College Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

with a Bachelor's degree in June 1851. At a young age, he became the second largest slaveholder in Charles County.

Career

After college, Compton returned home and engaged in agricultural pursuits and as a planter. He first ran for the State House of Delegates under the Whig ticket in 1855, but lost. He re-ran in 1859 as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

and served as a member of the State House of Delegates in 1860 and 1861. In the 1861 session, held in

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

, a number of legislative members were suspected of Confederate sympathies and were arrested upon arrival in Frederick. Compton evaded arrest by fleeing across the Potomac. In 1865, Compton was arrested and imprisoned at the Old Capitol under suspicion of aiding and abetting

John Wilkes Booth John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the prominent 19th-century Booth th ...

after the

Lincoln Assassination On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was assassinated by well-known stage actor John Wilkes Booth, while attending the play ''Our American Cousin'' at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Shot in the hea ...

, but the information was proven false and he was released after four days. He was also a member of the

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

in 1867, 1868, 1870, and 1872, during the 1868 and 1870 sessions he served as the Senate president in 1868. Compton also served as State Tobacco Inspector in 1873 and 1874 and as

from 1874 to 1885. Compton then moved to

Laurel Laurel may refer to: Plants * Lauraceae, the laurel family * Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel People * Laurel (given name), people with the given name * Laurel (surname), people with the surname * Laurel (mus ...

Prince George's County, Maryland ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobroo ...

in 1880 and was elected as a

to the Forty-ninth and

Fiftieth United States Congress The 50th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1887, ...

(March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889). He presented credentials as

Member-elect An ''officer-elect'' is a person who has been Election, elected to a position but has not yet been Inauguration, installed. Notably, a President (government title), president who has been elected but not yet installed would be referred to as a ...

to the

Fifty-first United States Congress The 51st United States Congress, referred to by some critics as the Billion Dollar Congress, was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Rep ...

and served from March 4, 1889, to March 20, 1890, when he was succeeded by Sydney E. Mudd, Sr., who contested the election. A committee was appointed to investigate

voter fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of ...

and ruled in favor of Mudd. Compton was later elected to the Fifty-second and

Fifty-third United States Congress The 53rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1893 ...

and served from March 4, 1891, until his resignation, effective May 15, 1894 when he was then appointed by President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

as Naval Officer of the

Port of Baltimore Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore is a shipping port along the tidal basins of the three branches of the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland on the upper northwest shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It is the nation's largest port facilities f ...

, a post in which he served from 1894 to 1898. Compton taught agriculture at the

Maryland Agricultural College 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 it ...

. He also sat on the Board of Trustees for the Charlotte Hall Military Academy, the School Commission of Charles County, and the Maryland Hospital for the Insane. In 1890, he was a cofounder and appointed director of the Citizens National Bank of Laurel. In 1898, he was made president of the Guarantee Building and Loan Association of Baltimore.

Personal life

He married Margaret Holiday Sothoron of St. Mary's County on October 27, 1858. Together, they had four sons and two daughters: * John Henry Sothoron Compton * Key Compton * William Penn Compton * Barnes Compton * Mary Barnes Compton * Elizabeth Somerville He was the great-grandson of Philip Key. He was a friend of

Arthur Pue Gorman Arthur Pue Gorman (March 11, 1839June 4, 1906) was an American politician. He was leader of the Gorman-Rasin organization with Isaac Freeman Rasin that controlled the Maryland Democratic Party from the late 1870s until his death in 1906. Gorman ...

Death

Compton died on December 2, 1898 of paralysis in

Laurel, Maryland Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River. While the city limits are entirely in northern Prince George's County, outlying developments extend into Anne Arunde ...

. He was interred in

Loudon Park Cemetery Loudon Park Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. It was incorporated on January 27, 1853, on of the site of the "Loudon" estate, previously owned by James Carey, a local merchant and politician. The entrance to the cemetery i ...

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 ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Compton, Barnes 1830 births 1898 deaths Maryland state senators Members of the Maryland House of Delegates Members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland State treasurers of Maryland Presidents of the Maryland State Senate University of Maryland, College Park faculty People from Port Tobacco Village, Maryland People from Laurel, Maryland American slave owners Princeton University alumni Maryland Whigs Maryland Democrats 19th-century American politicians Electoral fraud in the United States