Solomon Weathersbee Downs (1801August 14, 1854) was an American attorney and politician from
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. 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 ...
, he was most notable for his service as a
United States senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
from 1847 to 1853.
Early life
Downs was born in
Montgomery County, Tennessee in 1801, the illegitimate son of William Weathersbee and Rebecca Downs. His family later moved to Louisiana, and sent Downs back to Tennessee to study under tutor
Thomas B. Craighead. He then attended
Transylvania University
Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...
in
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
, from which he graduated in 1823. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1826 and commenced practice in
Bayou Sara, Louisiana. He later moved to
Ouachita, where he practiced law and owned and operated a plantation.
Career
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 ...
, he became active in politics as a campaign speaker on behalf of Andrew Jackson in 1828. In 1838, he won election to the
Louisiana State Senate
The Louisiana State Senate (french: Sénat de Louisiane) is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees.
Composition
The Louisiana State Senate is compose ...
from
Catahoula,
Ouachita and
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
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Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
Parishes, and he was reelected in 1842.
A longtime member of the Louisiana Militia, in 1842 Downs was appointed
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 ...
of the organization's 6th Division.
In 1844 he was a delegate to the state constitutional convention. Also in 1844, he agreed to run for presidential elector as a supporter of Martin Van Buren. When Van Buren came out against annexing Texas, Downs resigned, but he agreed to run again after
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...
was nominated. Polk won the election and carried Louisiana, and Downs cast his ballot for the ticket of Polk for president and
George M. Dallas
George Mifflin Dallas (July 10, 1792 – December 31, 1864) was an American politician and diplomat who served as mayor of Philadelphia from 1828 to 1829, the 11th vice president of the United States from 1845 to 1849, and U.S. Minister to the ...
for vice president.
Downs moved to
in 1845. He served as
United States Attorney
United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...
for the district of Louisiana from 1845 to 1846 and a member of the
State constitutional convention.
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 U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1847 to March 3, 1853. While in the Senate he was chairman of the Committee on Engrossed Bills (Thirtieth Congress) and the Committee on Private Land Claims (Thirtieth through Thirty-second Congresses).
He was appointed by President
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...
as
United States Collector of Customs for the
District of Orleans
The United States District Court for the District of Orleans was a United States district court created on March 26, 1804, by 2 Stat. 283 for implementation on October 1, 1804 to resolve disputes in the Territory of Orleans, the portion of the Lo ...
in 1853 and he served until his death.
Death and burial
Downs died in
Crab Orchard Springs,
Lincoln County, Kentucky on August 14, 1854
and was buried on his family's plantation in Kentucky.
He was later reburied at Riverview Sanitarium in
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe (historically french: Poste-du-Ouachita) is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and parish seat of Ouachita Parish. With a 2020 census-tabulated population of 47,702, it is the principal city of the Monroe metropolita ...
, and the burial ground there became Riverview Cemetery.
Under the terms of his will, Downs freed a slave, Richard Barrington, who had been taught to read and write while living on Downs' plantation.
Barrington later became a successful barber in
, and learned that Downs' grave had not been marked, so Barrington paid for a headstone.
Downs' grave was later lost, and was uncovered again in 1937.
After being moved to a spot near the cemetery entrance, the grave was forgotten about a second time.
It was rediscovered in 2000, and is marked by the broken pieces of the headstone originally purchased by Barrington.
Family
In 1830, Downs married Ann Marie McCaleb (d. 1857).
They were the parents of two children, Samuel Alfred Downs and Sarah Mary Downs.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Downs, Solomon W.
1801 births
1854 deaths
United States Attorneys for the District of Louisiana
Louisiana Democrats
Louisiana lawyers
Farmers from Louisiana
Transylvania University alumni
American planters
People from Montgomery County, Tennessee
Democratic Party United States senators from Louisiana
19th-century American politicians
People from St. Francisville, Louisiana
19th-century American lawyers