Edwards Lucas (October 20, 1780 – March 4, 1858) was a nineteenth-century politician, lawyer and military officer from western

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, who served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, 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-numbe ...

and the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

before becoming superintendent of the military arsenal at Harpers Ferry (1837-1841) and then its paymaster until his death. His younger brother William Lucas would also later hold the redistricted congressional seat.

Early and family life

Born in Jefferson County near

Shepherdstown, Virginia Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located in the lower Shenandoah Valley along the Potomac River. Home to Shepherd University, the town's population was 1,734 at the time of the 2010 census. History 18t ...

(now

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 Bur ...

) to Robert Lucas and his wife the former Elizabeth Edwards (1745-1808), the younger Lucas is sometimes referred to as Edward Lucas IV. His Quaker grandfather Edward Lucas II moved to Virginia with his Philadelphia-born wife, and his son (this man's father) fought as a patriot during the revolutionary war. He also shared the name with his uncle and some cousins, but after two sons having the name died as infants, this baby received the additional letter as a mystical precaution. Young Ed Lucas received a private education suitable to his class, as did his surviving brother William. He then traveled to

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

for further studies and graduated from

Dickinson College , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = J ...

in 1809. He would marry Anna Maria Ronemous. Though their married daughter died in 1844, their three sons all survived the American Civil War not long after this Edward Lucas' death.

Military service

During the

, he served as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

, paymaster and acting

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the 4th Virginia militia (a/k/a Beatty's). The unit participated in the crucial battles defending Norfolk, Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland.

Career

After the conflict, Lucas read law and was admitted to the Virginia bar. He began his legal practice in

(now

) on a major westward route, and continued until 1818, when he decided to concentrate on business pursuits in surrounding Jefferson County. Although the

National Road The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the Federal Government of the United States, federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Pot ...

bypassed Shepherdstown, it went through Harpers Ferry (the county seat), as did the

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal and occasionally called the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C. and Cumberland, Maryland. It replaced the Potomac Canal, wh ...

, so internal improvements were very important to the area. Lucas first won election to the

(a part-time position) in 1819 and continued to win re-election until 1822. He again won election to the House of Delegates in 1830, following adoption of the Virginia Constitution of that year which increased western representation. In 1832 Lucas ran to represent Virginia's 15th congressional district as a Jacksonian. He won re-election to the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, and served from 1833 to 1837. He narrowly defeated John R. Cooke, candidate of the new Whig Party in 1834, and who had helped draft the new Virginia constitution. In 1836, Lucas announced his plan to retire instead of seeking re-election. Fellow Jacksonian Democrat

James Murray Mason James Murray Mason (November 3, 1798April 28, 1871) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as senator from Virginia, having previously represented Frederick County, Virginia, in the Virginia House of Delegates. A grandson of George Ma ...

(who would become a U.S. Senator and Confederate diplomat) succeeded him, but the following term his brother

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

won the (redistricted) Congressional seat. By that time, Edward Lucas had succeeded General George Rust as superintendent of the

Harpers Ferry Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The population was 285 at the 2020 census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, where the U.S. stat ...

Armory Armory or armoury may mean: * An arsenal, a military or civilian location for the storage of arms and ammunition Places *National Guard Armory, in the United States and Canada, a training place for National Guard or other part-time or regular mili ...

. Lucas owned an enslaved woman and boy in 1840 census, and three slaves in the 1850 census. In 1841, he became the paymaster for the Harpers Ferry Armory.

Death and legacy

Lucas died at

Harpers Ferry, Virginia Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The population was 285 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Situated at the confluence o ...

on March 4, 1858. He is interred at the family cemetery at Elmwood near Harpers Ferry, beside his wife and daughter. His sons Lewis Lucas (who was a boatman on the Potomac River or Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in 1850 and probably hurt economically by the opening of the C&O Railroad just before the war), Edward Lucas IV and Dr. Robert Armistead Lucas all survived the conflict. Confederate volunteers of the younger generation included his nephew

Daniel Bedinger Lucas Daniel Bedinger Lucas (March 16, 1836 in Rion Hall near Charles Town, Virginia – June 24, 1909 in Charles Town, West Virginia), was a Confederate officer, poet, lawyer and ultimately justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court. He was the son of ...

(son of William Lucas, and future West Virginia Supreme Court Justice) who served two months as secretary to Confederate general John Wise (a former Virginia governor) and six privates in the First Virginia Cavalry. Of those, his grandson George B. Lucas (son of Lewis Lucas) was captured of May 31, 1863, released during a prisoner exchange and returned to the battlefront, only to be killed in action on January 18, 1865. His fiddle-playing cousin Robert Rion Lucas (captured in March 23, 1863 while on detached service with Gen. J.E.B. Stuart) was released from Fort Delaware at the war's end (June 1865).Robert J. Driver, Jr., First Virginia Cavalry (H.E. Howard Virginia Regimental Histories Series 1991) p. 201

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, Edward 1780 births 1858 deaths 18th-century American Episcopalians 19th-century American Episcopalians American merchants Businesspeople from Virginia Dickinson College alumni Members of the Virginia House of Delegates People from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia People from Shepherdstown, West Virginia People from Virginia in the War of 1812 People from West Virginia in the War of 1812 Robert Lucas family Virginia lawyers Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia 19th-century American politicians