Joseph "Jo" Abbott (January 15, 1840 – February 11, 1908) was a member of 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 ...

and a member of 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

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Biography

Abbott was born January 15, 1840, in

Morgan County, Alabama Morgan County is a county in the north central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, its population was 123,421. The county seat is Decatur. The county was created by the Alabama Territorial legislature on February 6, 1818 ...

near Decatur and attended the public schools. He moved with his parents to

Freestone County, Texas Freestone County is a county in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,435. Its county seat is Fairfield. The county was created in 1850 and organized the next year. History Native Ame ...

, in 1853. During the

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 ...

, he served as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

in the Twelfth Regiment of the Texas Cavalry. The war over, he resumed his law studies, and being licensed in October, 1866, began his legal practice in Springfield,

Limestone County, Texas Limestone County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 22,146. Its county seat is Groesbeck. The county was created in 1846. History Native Americans Indians friendly to the settlers resided in Ea ...

. He later moved to

Hillsboro, Texas Hillsboro is a city in and the county seat of Hill County, Texas, Hill County, Texas, United States. The population was 8,221 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Hillsboro was named for Hill County. At one point during Bon ...

where he continued his legal career. He was a member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

in 1870 and 1871. He was appointed a district judge in the Twenty-Eighth judicial district by Governor

Oran M. Roberts Oran Milo Roberts (July 9, 1815May 19, 1898), was the 17th Governor of Texas from January 21, 1879, to January 16, 1883. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Roberts County, Texas, is named after him. Early life Roberts was born in Laure ...

. In 1880, he was elected for a full four-year term for that position. In 1886, he 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

, and served in that capacity through the end of Fifty-Fourth Congress in 1897. Upon leaving Congress, he resumed his legal career in Hillsboro, Texas, where he died on February 11, 1908.

References

Retrieved on 2008-02-13 * Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-1989: Bicentennial Edition.'' United States: Government Printing Office, 1989.

External links

Joseph Abbott in the Handbook of Texas
1840 births 1908 deaths Politicians from Decatur, Alabama Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Texas state court judges Confederate States Army officers People from Freestone County, Texas People from Hillsboro, Texas People from Limestone County, Texas Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges Military personnel from Texas {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub