George Washington Barrow (October 5, 1807 – October 19, 1866) was a slave owner,

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...

, 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

's 8th congressional district; he later fought against the Union as a member of the Confederate Army and was charged with treason.

Biography

Barrow was born in Davidson County, Tennessee son of Wylie and Ann Beck Barrow, his father's second wife, on October 5, 1807. He attended Davidson Academy and in 1826 became one of the first graduates of the University of Nashville. He read law and was admitted to the

Bar in 1827. In that same year, he married Anna Marian Shelby, daughter of Dr. John Shelby, one of the state's wealthiest men.

Career

In 1837, Barrow served a term in the Tennessee House of Representatives. From December 28, 1841 to February 24, 1844, he served as the U.S. Minister to Portugal. He

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the ''Nashville Republican Banner'' in 1845-1847. Barrow was elected as a Whig to the

Thirtieth Congress The 30th 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, 1847 ...

, but he was not a candidate for renomination to the

Thirty-first Congress The 31st 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, 1849, ...

in 1848. He served from March 4, 1847 to March 3, 1849. Returning home in 1849, Barrow was a delegate to the Nashville Convention of 1850. He worked as a businessman and founded and served as the first president of the Nashville Gas Light Company. Barrow and his son, John C. Barrow, purchased 112 slaves and a plantation in

Maringouin, Louisiana Maringouin is a town in Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,098 at the 2010 census, down from 1,262 at the 2000 census. At the 2020 population estimates program, its population was 966. It is part of the Baton Rouge ...

on January 18, 1853, from the heirs of Jesse Batey. Some of those slaves were previously part of the group sold in 1838 by the Maryland Province of the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

. Barrow sold the slaves and the plantation to William Patrick and Joseph B. Woolfolk in 1856.

Civil War

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 ...

, Barrow was a member of the Confederate faction of the

Tennessee Senate The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any issue rega ...

in 1861 and 1862. Being a senior officer in the Tennessee militia, Barrow raised Company C of the 11th Tennessee Cavalry, which became known as "Barrow Guards."Biographical entry on Washington Barrow in the Tennessee Encyclopedia
''Tennessee Historical Society'' He was captured by

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: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

forces in Nashville and charged with

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

. He refused to take an oath of allegiance and was imprisoned at

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and

Mackinac Island, Michigan Mackinac Island ( ) is a city in Mackinac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a permanent population of 583. The population numbers in the tens of thousands from May 1st to October 31st due to an influx o ...

, which gravely weakened his health, but later was paroled in an exchange of prisoners. After returning to Nashville, he served as a

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in the retreating

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in ...

in 1863.

Death

Following the war, Barrow died at the home of his brother in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, during a visit on October 19, 1866 (age 59 years, 14 days). He is

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at the family vault of Dr. John Shelby, his father-in-law, at the Mount Olivet Cemetery

Nashville City Cemetery Nashville City Cemetery is the oldest public cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee. Many of Nashville's prominent historical figures are buried there. It includes the tombs of 22,000 people, 6,000 of whom were African Americans. Overview Nashville ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. Barrow was the half-brother of

Alexander Barrow Alexander Barrow I (March 27, 1801 – December 29, 1846) was a slave owner, lawyer and United States Senator from Louisiana. He was a member of the Whig Party (United States), Whig Party. He was the half-brother of Washington Barrow, sharin ...

, a U.S. Senator 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 ...

, who was the son of Washington Barrow's father and his first wife.

References

External links

Biographical entry on Washington Barrow in the Tennessee Encyclopedia
''Tennessee Historical Society''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrow, Washington 1807 births 1866 deaths People from Davidson County, Tennessee Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee Tennessee state senators Ambassadors of the United States to Portugal 19th-century American diplomats People of Tennessee in the American Civil War Confederate States Army soldiers Burials in Tennessee