Edward Carrington Cabell (February 5, 1816 – February 28, 1896) was the first

U.S. 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 c ...

from Florida.

Biography

Born in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

; attended Washington College (now Washington and Lee University),

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines ...

in 1832 and 1833 and Reynolds' Classical Academy in 1833 and 1834; was graduated from the University of Virginia at

Charlottesville, Virginia 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 ...

in 1836; moved to Florida in 1837 and engaged in agricultural pursuits near Tallahassee, Florida. Cabell served as delegate to the Territorial convention to form a State constitution in 1838. He returned to Virginia where he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1840. He then returned to Tallahassee, and upon the admission of Florida as a State into the Union he was seemingly elected to the Twenty-ninth United States Congress and seated after he presented credentials. However his opponent, William H. Brockenbrough, contested the election on the grounds that if some returns, that were delivered after the 30 day time limit, were included he would've won and arguing that some ballots should be excluded because of how they were delivered. The investigating committee did not agree that who delivered the ballots should matter, but did decide that the time limit was merely directory and that all the returns should be included. This resulted in a small victory for Brockenbrough and so Cabell was deemed ineligible and the seat awarded to Brokenbrough. Cabell thus served from October 6, 1845, to January 24, 1846. Cabell ran again and was elected as a Whig to the Thirtieth and then re-elected to the Thirty-first and Thirty-second Congresses (March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1853), but was an unsuccessful candidate in 1852 for reelection to the Thirty-third Congress. During his time in Congress he served as chairman of the

Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one of the most influential and powerful panels in the ...

during the Thirtieth-Congress. Resumed the practice of law in Tallahassee; moved to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

in 1859, In May–June 1861 served as Missouri Governor C. F. Jackson's secret Commissioner (Ambassador) to the Confederate Government. Subsequently, during the American Civil War served in the

Confederate 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 ...

with rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

; engaged in the practice of law in New York City 1868–1872, and subsequently in St. Louis, Mo.; member of the State senate of Missouri 1878–1882; died in St. Louis, Mo.; interment in Bellefontaine Cemetery.

Notes

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabell, Edward Carrington 1816 births 1896 deaths Members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida Florida Whigs Missouri state senators Washington and Lee University alumni University of Virginia alumni Politicians from Richmond, Virginia Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century American legislators Burials at Bellefontaine Cemetery Florida lawyers People of Missouri in the American Civil War Confederate States Army officers Members of the United States House of Representatives removed by contest Cabell family 19th-century Missouri politicians