So, I have been interested in seeing who represented my current district during the Antebellum Period, and I felt I just had to share what I found. Two pretty imposing figures, one literal, represented Alabama's 3rd Congressional District.
Dixon Hall Lewis represented the district from 1829-1833 and again from 1841-1844 (he represented the 4th Congressional District from 1833-1841). In case some of you are not familiar with Congressman (later Senator) Lewis, he was, a strikingly obese man, weighting near 500 pounds. A specially constructed seat was made for Lewis, and his carriage was outfitted with heavy suspension springs. As an interesting aside, Lewis' colleagues stated that Alabama literally had the largest representation of any state in the U.S. Congress.
William Lowndes Yancey represented the district from 1844-1846. Now I don't believe I need to introduce this Fire-eater to you all, but if you are at all interested in finding out more about Congressman Yancey, Eric Walther's William Lowndes Yancey: The Coming of the Civil War is a very good book.
I would be very interested in knowing some of the famous Antebellum politicians from your own congressional districts.
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2 comments:
Hey, he was from Dinwiddie!
There were two eccentric politicians who represented Tennessee's 12th Congressional District in the 1830s: David Crockett and Adam Huntsman. I'm working on a biography on the latter, the man who defeated Crockett for the seat. Huntsman was a talented satirist and stump speaker; he also wore a wooden peg leg that he used with effect during his speeches, stomping it for emphasis!
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