Lucius Jeremiah Gartrell (January 7, 1821 – April 7, 1891) was an American

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 ...

and lawyer, as well as general in 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 ...

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 ...

Early life and education

Gartrell was born near

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

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 ...

to Joseph Gartrell, Jr. and Eliza Boswell Gartrell. He attended Randolph-Macon College, and Franklin College (now known as the

Franklin College of Arts and Sciences The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest and largest college of the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens, Georgia. Established in 1801 following the American Revolution, the college was named in honor of American Founding Father B ...

), the founding school 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 ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. Gartrell passed the

state bar A state bar association is a bar association that represents or seeks to represent the attorneys practicing law in a particular U.S. state. Their functions differ from state to state, but often include administration of the state bar examination fo ...

in 1842 and began the practice of law in Washington.

Public office

Gartrell served as the solicitor general of the northern judicial circuit from 1843 until 1847 when he 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. ...

. He was subsequently elected to the first of two consecutive terms in

U.S. 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 ...

in 1856.

Confederate service

He resigned from his second term in 1861 to form the Seventh Regiment of the Georgia Volunteer Infantry in the Confederate army during the Civil War. In 1862, Gartrell was elected to the

Confederate Congress The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly of the Confederate States of America that existed from 1861 to 1865. Its actions were for the most part concerned with measures to establish a new na ...

and served in that capacity until 1864. In 1864, he was appointed as a

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 Confederate forces.

Personal life

Gartrell married twice. First to Olivia Gideon (1823-1854). The couple had two sons, Henry Clay Gartrell (1845-1861), and Joseph Erasmus Gartrell (1852-1886). After the death of his first wife, Gartrell married Antoinette Phoebe Burke (1834-1882). They had seven children, Lizzie Gartrell Baird (1856-1898), Vannie Gartrell Phinizy (1858-1887), Carrie Gartrell Blount (1861-1947), Lucy Gartrell Magnus (1864-1936), Ida-May Gartrell Hartridge (1866-1892), Alice Gartrell Hay (1870–1910), and Lucius Jeremiah Gartrell, Jr. (1879-1944).

Later years

After the war, Gartrell served as a member of the State constitutional convention in 1877. He also ran for

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

in 1882 but lost to

Alexander Stephens Alexander Hamilton Stephens (February 11, 1812 – March 4, 1883) was an American politician who served as the vice president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865, and later as the 50th governor of Georgia from 1882 until his death in 1 ...

. Gartrell died in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, in 1891 and was buried in that city's Oakland Cemetery.

Early life and education

Public office

Confederate service

Personal life

Later years

See also

References

Further reading