William Fitzgerald (August 6, 1799March 1864) was an American politician who represented in 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
. He was also a slave owner.
Biography
Fitzgerald was born at
Port Tobacco
Port Tobacco, officially Port Tobacco Village, is a town in Charles County, in southern Maryland, United States. The population was 13 at the 2010 census, making Port Tobacco the smallest incorporated town in Maryland.
Overview
This was historical ...
in
Charles County
Charles County is a county in Southern Maryland. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata, Maryland, La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, Charle ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
on August 6, 1799. In 1806, he moved with his father to Dover, Tennessee. He was educated in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and studied law. He was admitted to the
bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
at
Dover, Tennessee
Dover is a city in and the county seat of Stewart County, Tennessee, west-northwest of Nashville on the Cumberland River. Fort Donelson National Cemetery is in Dover. The population was 1,442 at the 2000 census and the 2010 census showed a popu ...
in 1821. In 1822, he married Elizabeth Wells, who was born near
Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States. It is the fifth-largest city in the state behind Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. The city had a population of 166,722 as of the 2020 United States ce ...
.
Career
Between 1822 and 1825 Fitzgerald was the
circuit court clerk for
Stewart County.
He was a member of Tennessee house of representatives from 1825 to 1826.
He was elected
solicitor general of the sixteenth solicitorial district of Tennessee on November 25, 1826, which he held until he vacated the role on March 4, 1831.
Fitzgerald was elected as a
Jacksonian to the
Twenty-second Congress
The 22nd 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, 1831 ...
, which lasted from March 4, 1831 to March 3, 1833.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election to the
Twenty-third Congress
The 23rd 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, 1833, ...
in 1832. He moved to
Paris, Tennessee
Paris is a city in and the county seat of Henry County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 10,316.
A replica of the Eiffel Tower stands in the southern part of Paris.
History
The present site of Pari ...
and served as judge of the ninth judicial circuit of Tennessee from 1845 to 1861.
In 1861, he was nominated as a representative from Tennessee's ninth congressional district to attend a peace conference in 1861 in an effort to prevent the pending
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 ...
;
Isaac Roberts Hawkins
Isaac Roberts Hawkins (May 16, 1818 – August 12, 1880) was an American soldier, politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee's 7th congressional district.
Biography
Hawkins was born on May 16, 1818 near ...
was elected to that role.
Death
Fitzgerald died at Paris, Tennessee in March 1864 (age about 64 years). He was
interred
Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...
in Fitzgerald Cemetery near Paris, Tennessee.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzgerald, William
1799 births
1864 deaths
People from Port Tobacco Village, Maryland
Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee
19th-century American politicians
People from Paris, Tennessee
American slave owners