John Singleton Millson (October 1, 1808 – March 1, 1874) was an American lawyer and politician who served six consecutive terms as 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 ...
from 1849 to 1861.
Biography
Born in
Norfolk, Virginia, Millson pursued an academic course.
He studied law.
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 ...
in 1829 and commenced practice in Norfolk.
Congress
Millson 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
Thirty-first and to the five succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1861).
He served as chairman of the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions (
Thirty-second Congress).
He is notable as of one of only two Southern Democrats to have voted against the
Kansas-Nebraska Act, the other being
Thomas Hart Benton.
Later career
After leaving Congress. Millson resumed the practice of law.
He died in
Norfolk, Virginia, March 1, 1874.
He was interred in Cedar Grove Cemetery.
Electoral history
*1849; Millson was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 51.67% of the vote, defeating a Whig identified only as Watts.
*1851; Millson was re-elected with 59.58% of the vote, defeating Whig Leopold C.P. Cowper.
*1853; Millson was re-elected with 56.68% of the vote, defeating Whig Johnathan R. Chambliss and Independent Democrat William D. Roberts.
*1855; Millson was re-elected with 53.29% of the vote, defeating American Party Watts.
*1857; Millson was re-elected unopposed.
*1859; Millson was re-elected with 61.46% of the vote, defeating Independents identified only as Pretlow, Chandler, and Sykes.
Sources
1808 births
1874 deaths
Virginia lawyers
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia
19th-century American lawyers
Politicians from Norfolk, Virginia
19th-century American politicians
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