Ethelbert Barksdale (January 4, 1824 – February 17, 1893) was a slave owner, a U.S. Representative from

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...

, and a member of the Confederate States Congress 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 state ...

Biography

Barksdale was born in Smyrna, Tennessee, to William Barksdale and Nancy Hervey Lester. He was the younger brother of William Barksdale, a Confederate general who was killed at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of th ...

during the Civil War. Ethelbert Barksdale moved to

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

, as a young man and later adopted journalism as a profession. He edited the official journal of the state from 1854 to 1861 and again in 1876–1883, served as editor of the '' Jackson Clarion,'' has been active in

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

politics, and earned the moniker, ''the Sir Robert Peel, of Mississippi''. He strongly advocated for Mississippi's secession from the Union at the start of the Civil War. During the Civil War, he served as member of the First Confederate Congress and then the Second Confederate Congress from 1861 to 1865. Near the war's end, in an effort to provide recruits for the

Confederate States 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 ...

, Barksdale introduced legislation that would permit "Negroes" to fight for the South against the Union, a measure supported by

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

. Initially it passed the Confederate House, was barely defeated in the Senate, but weeks later, a version of this "last resort" effort was eventually approved, though never implemented. Returning to politics in postbellum Mississippi during Reconstruction, Barksdale served as delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

s in 1860, 1868, 1872, and 1880. He served as chairman of the Democratic State executive committee from 1877 to 1879. Barksdale was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-eighth and Forty-ninth Congresses (March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1887). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1886, and then engaged in agricultural pursuits in Yazoo County. He died in Yazoo City, Mississippi, on February 17, 1893, and was interred in Greenwood Cemetery,

Family

In 1843 he married Alice-Jane Harris (1826–1906) and they had three children.Mrs. Jane Barksdale obituary
''Jackson Daily News'', Friday, June 22, 1906, p. 8.

References

External links

* 1824 births 1893 deaths People from Smyrna, Tennessee American people of English descent Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi Members of the Confederate House of Representatives from Mississippi Politicians from Jackson, Mississippi People from Yazoo City, Mississippi Mississippi lawyers 19th-century American lawyers {{Mississippi-politician-stub