Franklin Welsh Bowdon (February 17, 1817 – June 8, 1857) was an American slave owner, politician and an

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

. He served in 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 ...

from 1846 to 1851.

Biography

Born in Chester District, South Carolina, Bowdon was the son of Samuel and Sarah Welsh Bowdon. He graduated from the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

in 1836, studied law under Daniel E. Watrous at Montevallo, was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

and commenced practice in

Talladega, Alabama Talladega (, also ) is the county seat of Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1835. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,861. Talladega is approximately east of one of the state’s biggest cities, Birmingham. ...

as the law partner of Messrs. Thomas and Wm. P. Chilton, and Tignall W. Jones. He married Sarah E Chilton, on March 15, 1840 at Talladega, Alabama. She was the daughter of

Thomas Chilton Thomas Chilton (July 30, 1798 – August 15, 1854) was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky, a prominent Baptist clergyman, and the ghost writer of David Crockett's autobiography. Born near Lancaster, Kentucky, a son of Rev. Thomas John Chilton a ...

and Frances Chilton.

Career

Bowdon served as a member of the Alabama House of Representatives in 1844 and 1845. He was elected 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 ...

to the

Twenty-ninth United States Congress The 29th 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, 1845 ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Felix G. McConnell. He was reelected to the

Thirtieth United States Congress The 30th 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, 1847, ...

and

Thirty-first United States Congress The 31st 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, 1849, ...

. He was chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds during the Thirty-first Congress. He served as a U. S. Representative from December 7, 1846 to March 3, 1851. He did not stand for reelection in 1850 and moved to Henderson, Rusk County, Texas in 1852, where he resumed his law practice as the partner of George W. Chilton.

Death

Bowdon died in Henderson on June 8, 1857 (age 40 years, 111 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

at City Cemetery,

Henderson, Texas Henderson is a city and the county seat of Rusk County, Texas, in Northeast Texas. Its population was 13,271 at the 2020 census. Henderson is named for James Pinckney Henderson, the first governor of Texas. The city has functioned as a major cro ...

. The town of

Bowdon, Georgia Bowdon is a city in Carroll County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 2,161. History The community was incorporated on January 1, 1859, and was named after Alabama congressman Franklin Welsh Bowdon. A ...

was named after him. He was the uncle of Sydney Johnston Bowie, who was an Alabama congressman from 1901 to 1907.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowdon, Franklin Welsh 1817 births 1857 deaths People from Chester County, South Carolina Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama 19th-century American politicians American slave owners