James Wood Bouldin (1792March 30, 1854) was an American
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
Virginia, and brother of
Thomas Tyler Bouldin.
Biography
Born in
Charlotte County, Virginia, Bouldin attended the common schools, then studied law.
He was
admitted to the bar April 12, 1813, and began to practice at
Charlotte Court House, Virginia
Charlotte Court House is a town in and the county seat of Charlotte County, Virginia, United States. The population was 756 at the 2020 census.
Geography
The town is located near the center of Charlotte County. Virginia State Route 40 passes thro ...
.
He served as member of state house of delegates from 1825 to 1826.
Bouldin was elected as a
Jacksonian to the
Twenty-third Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his brother
Thomas Bouldin
Thomas Tyler Bouldin (1781 – February 11, 1834) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Virginia, serving non-consecutive terms between 1829 and 1834.
He was the brother of James Wood Bouldin, who suc ...
.
He was reelected to the
Twenty-fourth Congress, then 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-fifth Congress.
He served in Congress from March 15, 1834, to March 3, 1839.
He served as chairman of the Committee on District of Columbia (Twenty-fifth Congress), and opposed the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia
on the grounds that slaves were "freer, happier, and more intelligent, and more pious" than they would have been as free people in Africa.
Following his departure from Congress, possibly due to alcoholism,
he resumed the practice of law and also engaged in agricultural pursuits.
He died at his country home, "Forest Hill," Charlotte County, Virginia, March 30, 1854.
He was interred in the private burial ground on his estate.
Elections
*1835; Bouldin was re-elected with 58.98% of the vote, defeating Whig Philip A. Bolling.
*1837; Bouldin was re-elected unopposed.
References
Sources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bouldin, James Wood
1792 births
1854 deaths
Virginia lawyers
Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia
19th-century American politicians
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia
People from Charlotte County, Virginia
American slave owners