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

. 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,

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 t ...

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 ...

and studied law. He was admitted to the

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at Dover, Tennessee in 1821. In 1822, he married Elizabeth Wells, who was born near Clarksville, Tennessee.

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 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 polici ...

; Isaac Roberts Hawkins 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