Datus Ensign Coon (1831–1893) was a newspaper publisher,

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

officer during 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 ...

, planter, and state politician in Alabama. He was a delegate to the 1875 Alabama Constitutional Convention and a fraternal order of veterans president in San Diego, California. He served as a state legislator during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

in Alabama. representing Dallas County, Alabama in the

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency contai ...

. He served on investigating committee evaluating corruption allegations against U.S. Senator George E. Spencer. He was the son of Luke Coon Jr. and Lois Locina Burdick, born in De Ruyter, New York to a religious family with roots in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He was named for Datus Ensign (1783-1853), a famous evangelist of the time. He worked on a farm in Iowa with his father before starting a newspaper. During the American Civil War he served as Colonel of the

2nd Iowa Cavalry Regiment The 2nd Iowa Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 2nd Iowa Cavalry was recruited in the following counties and organized at Davenport, Iowa they mustered in at Camp Joe Ho ...

and eventually commanded a cavalry brigade. In 1872 he was documented as an inspector in the 2nd District of Alabama. A specimen of gypsiferous

marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part o ...

from him in

Selma, Alabama Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. About ...

was documented in an agricultural report in 1872. He served as U.S. Commercial Agent in

Baracoa, Cuba Baracoa, whose full original name is: ''Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Baracoa'' (“Our Lady of the Assumption of Baracoa”), is a municipality and city in Guantánamo Province near the eastern tip of Cuba. It was visited by Admiral Christop ...

. He moved to San Diego in 1878 to serve as a "Chinese Inspector" (

Chinese Exclusion Act The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. The law excluded merchants, teachers, students, travelers, and diplom ...

).https://honors.libraries.psu.edu/files/final_submissions/797 He was a leading member of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

(G.A.R.) in San Diego and was accidentally shot in 1893. The organization named one of its posts for him.https://sandiegohistory.org/wp-content/uploads/migrated/online_resources/downloads/MS%2520157%2520Grand%2520Army%2520of%2520the%2520Republic%2520Collection.pdf He is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery in San Diego.

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Findagrave entry
1831 births 1893 deaths 19th-century American planters People from Dallas County, Alabama Military personnel from New York (state) Farmers from Iowa People of Iowa in the American Civil War Union Army colonels 19th-century American military personnel Military personnel from San Diego Politicians from San Diego Date of birth missing Date of death missing Military personnel from California {{Alabama-politician-stub

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