George Alfred Caldwell (October 18, 1814 – September 17, 1866) was a

United States 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 ...

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 ...

's 4th Congressional district from 1843 to 1845 and 1849 to 1851. He also served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1839 to 1840.

Early life

George Caldwell was born in Columbia, Kentucky, where he attended the common schools. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1837 and commenced practice in

Adair County, Kentucky Adair County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Columbia, Kentucky, Columbia. The county was founded in 1801 and named for John Adair, then Speaker of the House in Kentucky and later Gov ...

Career

Caldwell was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1839 and 1840. He was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845). During his term, he served as chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Treasury ( Twenty-eighth Congress). At the outbreak of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

, Caldwell was commissioned major and quartermaster of volunteers on June 26, 1846. He was promoted on several occasions including to Major of Infantry March 3, 1847, and Major of

Voltigeurs The Voltigeurs were French military skirmish units created in 1804 by Emperor Napoleon I. They replaced the second company of fusiliers in each existing infantry battalion. Etymology ''Voltigeurs'' ( ɔltiʒœʀ English: "acrobats") were named ...

on April 9, 1847. He was made a brevetted lieutenant colonel September 13, 1847, for service in the

Battle of Chapultepec The Battle of Chapultepec was a battle between American forces and Mexican forces holding the strategically located Chapultepec Castle just outside Mexico City, fought 13 September 1847 during the Mexican–American War. The building, sitting ...

, Mexico and honorably mustered out August 25, 1848. Caldwell was elected 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, ...

(March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851) where he again served the chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Treasury (

). He was not a candidate for reelection to the Thirty-second Congress. After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

with his brother Isaac Caldwell. He was a delegate to the Union National Convention at

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

in 1866.

Personal life

Caldwell died in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 17, 1866. He was buried in

Cave Hill Cemetery Cave Hill Cemetery is a Victorian era National Cemetery and arboretum located at Louisville, Kentucky. Its main entrance is on Baxter Avenue and there is a secondary one on Grinstead Drive. It is the largest cemetery by area and number of buri ...

in Louisville.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Caldwell, George 1814 births 1866 deaths Democratic Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Quartermasters Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky People from Columbia, Kentucky Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky 19th-century American politicians Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery