John William Henderson Underwood (November 20, 1816 – July 18, 1888) was a

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Democratic

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He was born in

Ellenton, Georgia Ellenton is a town in Colquitt County, Georgia, United States. Its population was 281 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1970 by the Georgia General Assembly. It is located at (31.176563, -83.588016). According to the United States Censu ...

. He studied law and was admitted to the Georgia bar in 1835, and began practicing law in Clarkesville. He was an active participant in Georgia state politics for the duration of his adult life. He served as the solicitor general of the western judicial circuit of Georgia from 1843 to 1847. He was elected as a Democrat to the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from

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 the ...

and served from March 4, 1859, until January 23, 1861, when he withdrew, having joined the Confederacy. He died in

Rome, Georgia Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia metropolitan area, Rome, Georgia, metropolitan statisti ...

and buried in

Myrtle Hill Cemetery Myrtle Hill Cemetery is the second oldest cemetery in the city of Rome, Georgia. The cemetery is at the confluence of the Etowah River and Oostanaula River and to the south of downtown Rome across the South Broad Street bridge. Geography Three ...

External links

1816 births 1888 deaths People from Colquitt County, Georgia Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) American slave owners 19th-century American politicians People of Georgia (U.S. state) in the American Civil War {{GeorgiaUS-politician-stub