Hugh Anderson Haralson (November 13, 1805 – September 25, 1854) was an American farmer, lawyer and politician based in
Lagrange, Georgia.
Early years and education
Hugh Haralson was born November 13, 1805, in
Greene County, Georgia
Greene County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,915. The county seat is Greensboro. The county was created on February 3, 1786, and is named for Nathanael ...
. He graduated from
Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest and largest college of the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens, Georgia. Established in 1801 following the American Revolution, the college was named in honor of American Founding Father B ...
(
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
).
[Smith, p. 299] After graduation, Haralson was admitted to the
bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (un ...
by way of a special act of the
Legislature
A legislature is an deliberative assembly, assembly with the authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country or city. They are often contrasted with the Executive (government), executive and Judiciary, ...
, because he was under the age of twenty-one.
Political and military careers
Haralson first served in the
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. ...
, at age 26, from 1831 to 1832. He was next elected to the
Georgia State Senate
The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia.
Legal provisions
The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, with the lower house being the Georgia ...
in 1836, and served from 1837 to 1838.
[ He was commissioned as a major general in the ]Georgia Militia
The Georgia Militia existed from 1733 to 1879. It was originally planned by General James Oglethorpe prior to the founding of the Province of Georgia, the British colony that would become the U.S. state of Georgia. One reason for the founding ...
, 9th Division, in 1838.[ Haralson was originally a member of the Whig Party, but left when that party advocated for a restoration of the Bank of the United States, something that Haralson was opposed to because of his Jeffersonian leanings.][ Haralson subsequently joined the ]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 ...
and stood for election to Congress under that banner. Despite the fact that Georgia voted overwhelmingly for the Whig party, in 1840, Haralson was elected as a Democrat two years later.[ Haralson represented ]Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to t ...
in the U.S. Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
from 1843 to 1851, where he was chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs during the Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Second Federal Republic of Mexico, Mexico f ...
.[ He was the father-in-law of the famous Confederate General, and ]Georgia governor
The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor also has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either veto or approve bills passed by the Georgia Legis ...
John B. Gordon.
Death and legacy
Hugh A. Haralson died September 25, 1854, in LaGrange, Georgia. Haralson County, Georgia
Haralson County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,919, up from 28,780 2010. The county seat is Buchanan. The county was created on January 26, 1856, and was ...
and the city of Haralson, Georgia
Haralson is a town in Coweta and Meriwether counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 172 at the 2020 census. It is noted for being one of the filming locations for both ''The Walking Dead'' and ''Lawless''.
History
The fir ...
in Coweta County, are named in his honor.
References
External links
Hugh Anderson Haralson Letterbook – Atlanta History Center
*
* Smith, Gordon Burns, ''History of the Georgia Militia, 1783–1861, Volume One, Campaigns and Generals'', Boyd Publishing, 2000.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haralson, Hugh A.
1805 births
1854 deaths
Democratic Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators
Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers
Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives
University of Georgia alumni
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state)
American slave owners
19th-century American politicians
19th-century American lawyers