John Edwards (October 24, 1815 – April 8, 1894) was an

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 states th ...

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

, an American politician and 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

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

Biography

Born in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, Edwards received a limited schooling, but he studied law and was admitted to the bar. He married Eliza Jane Knight on July 8, 1834 in, Lawrence, Indiana, and they had seven children: Eugene Edgar, John, Marcus, Mary W., Susan Huldah, William T., and Montgomery Gray. His second wife was Catherine Whisenand, and they were married on May 8, 1854 in Chariton, Iowa. They had three children: Nancy, Clarence B., and Alfred. On April 28, 1880, he married Mary Burland Bevans in Washington, D.C., and they had two daughters: Frances Sterling ("Fanny") and Mary Ellen ("Mamie").

Career

In order to live in a free state, Edwards moved to

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, where he served in the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House memb ...

in 1845 and 1846. He had inherited slaves from his father's estate in Kentucky but freed them and gave them property with which to begin a new life in Indiana. He moved to California, and in 1849 was elected an alcalde. Edwards returned to Indiana in 1852, and as a Whig, he served as member of the Indiana State Senate in 1853. In 1853 he moved to Chariton, Iowa, where he began the practice of law. In 1856 he was chosen a member of the convention which framed the new state constitution which was adopted the following year. He was founder in 1857 of the ''Patriot'' newspaper, and became a Republican when that party was organized. In 1858 he was a member of the House of the Seventh General Assembly. He was reelected and in 1860 was chosen Speaker of the House of the Eighth General Assembly. When the Civil War began Edwards was appointed as

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

May 21, 1861 and served as aide on the staff of Governor Kirkwood of Iowa protecting the

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

border from invasion. On August 8, 1862 he was commissioned

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the 18th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, serving through the war, after which he was brevetted brigadier general of volunteers to date from September 26, 1864. After the war Edwards settled at

Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

, and was appointed by President Johnson as Assessor of Internal Revenue and served from August 15, 1866 to May 31, 1869. He was presented credentials of election as a Liberal Republican to the Forty-second Congress and served from March 4, 1871, to February 9, 1872, when he was succeeded by Thomas Boles, who contested the election. Not a candidate for renomination, he settled in Washington, D.C..

Death

Edwards died in Washington, D.C., on April 8, 1894. He is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

References

External links

Retrieved on 2008-08-11
The Iowa Legislature
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, John 1805 births 1894 deaths Politicians from Fort Smith, Arkansas Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky Indiana Whigs Iowa Republicans Arkansas Republicans Arkansas Liberal Republicans Liberal Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives Members of the Indiana House of Representatives Members of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas Indiana state senators Members of the Iowa House of Representatives Union Army generals People of Iowa in the American Civil War People from Chariton, Iowa Burials at Arlington National Cemetery 19th-century American politicians

Biography

Career

Death

See also

References

External links