James Knox Polk Laffoon (October 24, 1844 – October 22, 1906) was 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

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. Born near Madisonville, Kentucky, Laffoon attended the local schools. In September 1861, during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he enlisted 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 ...

in Company F, 8th Kentucky Infantry, at the age of 17. Elected a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

, Laffoon was captured at the

Battle of Fort Donelson The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11–16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The Union capture of the Confederate fort near the Tennessee–Kentucky border opened the Cumberland River, an important ave ...

on February 16, 1862, and was held a prisoner of war at Camp Morton, at

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

. He was exchanged at Vicksburg in September 1862 and was discharged at

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

. He next enlisted in Adam Rankin Johnson's 10th Kentucky Cavalry Regiment and again was made a lieutenant. He was captured at

Cheshire, Ohio Cheshire is a village in Gallia County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 132 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Point Pleasant, WV–OH Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Cheshire, Ohio, was named for ...

in July 1863, during

John Hunt Morgan John Hunt Morgan (June 1, 1825 – September 4, 1864) was an American soldier who served as a Confederate general in the American Civil War of 1861–1865. In April 1862, Morgan raised the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment (CSA) and fought in ...

's raid north of the Ohio River, and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war. Released at the war's end in 1865, Lafoon taught school for two years. He then studied law, and 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 1867, practicing in Madisonville. He served as the prosecuting attorney for Hopkins County. Laffoon 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 Forty-ninth and Fiftieth Congresses (March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889). He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of War (Fiftieth Congress). He did not seek reelection in 1888. Lafoon resumed his law practice in Madisonville, dying there on October 22, 1906. He was interred in the Odd Fellows Cemetery at Madisonville. His nephew,

Ruby Laffoon Ruby Laffoon (January 15, 1869March 1, 1941) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Kentucky from 1931 to 1935. A Kentucky native, at age 17 Laffoon moved to Washington, D.C., to live with his uncle, U.S. Rep ...

, served as

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-e ...

from 1931 to 1935.

References

External links

Polk Laffoon on Find-a-Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laffoon, Polk 1844 births 1906 deaths American Civil War prisoners of war Confederate States Army officers Kentucky lawyers People from Hopkins County, Kentucky People from Madisonville, Kentucky Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky 19th-century American politicians

References

Further reading

External links