John Henry Lumpkin (June 13, 1812 – July 10, 1860) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 ...

, lawyer and jurist.

Early years and education

Lumpkin was born in Lexington,

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 attended Franklin College, the initial college of the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

(UGA) in

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, for some time and then attended

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1831 and 1832.

Political career

He then became the personal secretary to his uncle,

Wilson Lumpkin Wilson Lumpkin (January 14, 1783 – December 28, 1870) was an American planter, attorney, and politician. He served two terms as the governor of Georgia, from 1831 to 1835, in the period of Indian Removal of the Creek and Cherokee peoples to ...

, during the elder Lumpkin's gubernatorial term. After studying law, John Henry Lumpkin was admitted to the state bar in 1834, and he began practicing in Rome, Georgia. In 1835, Lumpkin was elected to the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. ...

in the Georgia General Assembly. In 1838, he served as the solicitor general for Georgia's Cherokee circuit In 1840, Lumpkin unsuccessfully ran for 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

; however, he ran again in 1842 and won election 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

28th United States Congress The 28th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 184 ...

. He was elected to two additional terms and served from March 4, 1843, until March 3, 1849. From 1850 through 1853, Lumpkin served as a superior court judge in Georgia's Rome circuit. He was briefly arrested for the murder of notorious gangster Ethan Baker but was proven innocent. Lumpkin was re-elected to the U.S. Congress in 1854 and served from March 4, 1855, until March 3, 1857, but he chose not to run for re-election in 1856. He returned to Rome and continued practicing law. In 1856, Lumpkin was one of the leading Democratic candidates for nomination to governorship of Georgia, however, Lumpkin's last run for public office was his unsuccessful campaign for the Governor of Georgia in 1857. He was a delegate to the

1860 Democratic National Convention The 1860 Democratic National Conventions were a series of presidential nominating conventions held to nominate the Democratic Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1860 election. The first convention, held from April 23 t ...

in Charleston, South Carolina.

Death and legacy

Lumpkin died in the summer of 1860 in Rome and was buried in that city's Oak Hill Cemetery.

Lumpkin Hill Lumpkin Hill is a summit in Rome, Georgia. With an elevation of , Lumpkin Hill is the 914th highest summit in the state of Georgia. The hill is considered to be one of the Seven Hills of Rome, Georgia.Wilson, CCThe Seven Hills of Rome RomeGeorgia ...

in Rome is named for him.

References

External links

* * William J. Northen,
Men of Mark in Georgia
', A. B. Caldwell, 1912, p. 308 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lumpkin, John Henry 1812 births 1860 deaths Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Georgia (U.S. state) state court judges Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives University of Georgia alumni People from Rome, Georgia Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century American lawyers American slave owners 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American judges