Willoughby Newton (December 2, 1802 – May 23, 1874) was a nineteenth-century congressman and lawyer from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

Biography

Born at "Lee Hall" near

Hague, Virginia Hague is an unincorporated community in Westmoreland County, in the U. S. state of Virginia. The Morgan Jones 1677 Pottery Kiln and Mount Pleasant are listed on the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Pla ...

, he was the son of Willoughby Newton and Sarah "Sally" Bland Poythress (1768 – 24 May 1828), the widow of Richard "Squire" Lee and daughter of Peter Poythress (1715–1785) of "Branchester", and Elizabeth Bland (1733–1792). He married Elizabeth Armistead about 1825. She died after only a year. He next married Mary Stevenson Brockenbrough (15 September 1810 – 9 January 1888), daughter of Judge William Brockenbrough, on 12 May 1830. The couple had eight children;

#William Brockenbrough Newton (15 April 1832 – 11 October 1863); Capt. of the 4th Virginia Cavalry (C.S.A.) killed at Raccoon Ford. He was a red hot secessionist delegate in the General Assembly from Hanover County before the war. The famous painting "The Burial of Latane" was of the burial at his home, "Summer Hill", in Hanover which remains in the family. #Sarah Newton (b. 1833) ; married doctor Philip Smith #Mary Willoughby Newton (b. 1835); died young #Willoughby Newton III (1837 – 20 June 1897); married Elizabeth Lewis Marshall (1841–1888) # John B. Newton (7 Feb 1839 – 28 May 1897); Episcopal suffragan bishop of Virginia. Physician before the war and in Confederate service. He amputated his brother Willoughby's leg at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Willoughby's servant, John Willis, was handed the leg to bury and maintained until his death in 1926 that he was going to Heaven so he could tell Mr. Willoughby "where his leg was at." #Robert Murphey Newton (b. 15 May 1842) #Judith White Newton (b. 29 October 1843); married Edwin Claybrook #Edward Colston Newton (b. 1845; died 1913); married Lucy Yeats Tyler, daughter of Wat Henry Tyler and niece of President John Tyler. His son, Blake Tyler Newton, owned the homeplace "Linden" and was the state senator who cast the vote that broke "massive resistance". ECN has four living great grandsons, one of whom was Commonwealth's Attorney for Westmoreland County (ECN IV) and another who was a member of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (Charles Marshall Davison). He also has six living great-granddaughters. He died at his family's estate, "Linden" in

Westmoreland County, Virginia Westmoreland County is a county located in the Northern Neck of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 18,477. Its county seat is Montross. History As originally established by the Virginia colony's ...

on May 23, 1874, and was interred there in a private cemetery.

Career

Newton received a liberal education from private teachers as a child and went on to attend the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William ...

. He studied law and was admitted to the bar, commencing practice in

. He was a member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...

from 1826 to 1832 and was later elected a Whig to 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 ...

in 1842, serving from 1843 to 1845. After failing to be reelected, Newton resumed practicing law and also engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was president of the Virginia Agricultural Society in 1852. He delivered an important and strongly pro-slavery and pro-secession speech before the literary societies of the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

in 1858. Newton returned to the House of Delegates in 1861, serving until 1863.

External links

Retrieved on 2009-04-14 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Willoughby 1802 births 1874 deaths Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Virginia lawyers People of Virginia in the American Civil War College of William & Mary alumni Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia Brockenbrough family of Virginia People from Westmoreland County, Virginia 19th-century American politicians