John Wilbur Atwater (December 27, 1840 – July 4, 1910) was a U.S. Congressman from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

between 1899 and 1901.

Early life and education

Atwater was born near Fearrington, North Carolina in 1840. He attended common schools and the William Closs Academy.

Service with the Confederacy

A farmer, he enlisted in the Confederate Army 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 ...

, serving in Company D, First Regiment, of the North Carolina Volunteer Infantry. Atwater was with the army of Gen. Robert E. Lee until the Lee's surrender at Appomattox.

Later career

Atwater joined the

Farmers' Alliance The Farmers' Alliance was an organized agrarian economic movement among American farmers that developed and flourished ca. 1875. The movement included several parallel but independent political organizations — the National Farmers' Alliance and ...

in 1887, and was the first president of the Chatham County Alliance. He was elected to the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...

in 1890 as an Alliance Democrat; he was subsequently elected in 1892 and 1896 as a

Populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term develop ...

. In 1898, as an Independent Populist, Atwater was sent to the 56th U.S. Congress, serving from March 4, 1899 to March 3, 1901. He unsuccessfully ran for re-election in 1900 and returned to farming.

Death and legacy

He died in Fearington in 1910 and is buried in the Mount Pleasant Church Cemetery near Pittsboro.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atwater, John Wilbur 1840 births 1910 deaths People from Chatham County, North Carolina People's Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina North Carolina state senators Confederate States Army soldiers North Carolina Independents North Carolina Populists Independent members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians Members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina