William Henry Fleming (October 18, 1856 – June 9, 1944) was an American politician and lawyer from the US state of Georgia.

Early years

Fleming was born in Augusta, Georgia. He attended Summerville Academy and

Academy of Richmond County The Academy of Richmond County is a high school located in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Known previously as Richmond County Military Academy, it is commonly known as Richmond Academy or ARC. Chartered in 1783, it is listed as the sixth old ...

and the University of Georgia in Athens where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Literary Society. After graduation in 1874, Fleming served as the superintendent of the Augusta and Richmond County, Georgia, public schools from 1877 until his resignation in 1880. He studied law, gained admittance to the state bar in 1880 and began practicing law in Augusta. Fleming, known as "Willie" to close associates, was a friend of Alexander H. Stephens, 50th Governor of Georgia and Vice President of the Confederacy. He borrowed $100 from Stephens in 1874. The payoff of this loan is the first piece of correspondence in the a collection maintained by the Atlanta Historical Society. Money borrowing continued to be the topic of many of the letters in the collection.

Political career

From 1888 to 1896, Fleming served in the Georgia House of Representatives and was that body's speaker in 1894 and 1895. He was also the president of the Georgia State Bar Association in 1895. In 1896, Fleming was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives representing Georgia's 10th congressional district in the

55th United States Congress The 55th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1897, to M ...

. He was reelected to two additional terms in that seat ( 56th and 57th Congresses) before losing his reelection campaign for the

58th Congress The 58th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC, from March 4, 1903, to ...

in 1902. In total, Fleming's U.S. congressional service took place from March 4, 1897, until March 3, 1903. He returned to practicing law. Fleming later authored a book entitled ''Treaty-making Power: Slavery and the Race Problem in the South''.

Death

Fleming died in Augusta on June 9, 1944, and was buried in that city's

Summerville Cemetery Summerville Cemetery is a cemetery in Augusta, Georgia. It is maintained by the City of Augusta. Notable interments * George Walker Crawford (1798–1872), Governor of Georgia, US Secretary of War * Alfred Cumming (general), Alfred Cumming (1828� ...

References

Works

*Speech of the Honorable William H. Fleming from ''Banquet to honor the Honorable Carl Schurz'', Delmonico's restaurant, New York City, March 2, 189

*''Treaty-making Power: Slavery and the Race Problem in the South'

Collections

William Henry Fleming Letters - Atlanta Historical SocietyFleming, William Henry - Guide to Research Collections - Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, William Henry 1856 births 1944 deaths Politicians from Augusta, Georgia University of Georgia alumni Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Academy of Richmond County alumni