James Fletcher Epes (May 23, 1842 – August 24, 1910) was a

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 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 ...

, cousin of

Sidney Parham Epes Sydney Parham Epes (August 20, 1865 – March 3, 1900) was a U.S. Representative from Virginia, cousin of James F. Epes and William Bacon Oliver. Biography Born near Nottoway Court House, Virginia, Epes moved with his parents to Kentucky ...

Biography

Born near

Blackstone, Virginia Blackstone, formerly named Blacks and Whites, and then Bellefonte, is a town in Nottoway County, Virginia, Nottoway County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 3,621 at the 2010 census. History The settlement was founded as the vill ...

, Epes attended private schools and the

University of Virginia at Charlottesville The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective adm ...

. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

he served in 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 ...

in Company E, Third Virginia Cavalry. He was graduated from the law department of

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexingto ...

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines ...

, in 1867. He 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 ...

the same year and commenced practice at Nottoway Court House, Virginia. He also engaged in agricultural pursuits. He served as prosecuting attorney for Nottoway County during the years 1870–1883. Epes 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 Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses (March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1894. He retired to his plantation, "The Old Place," near Blackstone, and engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death there August 24, 1910. He was interred in Lake View Cemetery, Blackstone, Virginia.

Elections

*1890; Epes was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 57.15% of the vote, defeating Republican John Mercer Langston. *1892; Epes was re-elected with 52.19% of the vote, defeating Populist J. Thomas Goode.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Epes, James Fletcher 1842 births 1910 deaths Virginia lawyers People from Blackstone, Virginia University of Virginia alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia Washington and Lee University alumni People of Virginia in the American Civil War Confederate States Army personnel 19th-century American legislators 19th-century Virginia politicians