Balie Peyton

Balie Peyton (born November 26, 1803 in Gallatin , Sumner County , Tennessee , †  August 18, 1878 ibid) was an American lawyer and politician . Between 1833 and 1837 he represented the state of Tennessee in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Balie Peyton was the older brother of Joseph Hopkins Peyton (1808-1845), who was also a congressman for Tennessee between 1843 and 1847. He first attended preparatory schools. After studying law and being admitted to the bar in 1824, he began to work in this profession in Gallatin. Politically, Peyton initially joined the movement around Andrew Jackson and became a member of the Democratic Party founded by him .

In the congressional election of 1832 , Peyton was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the sixth constituency of Tennessee , where he succeeded future US President James K. Polk on March 4, 1833 . After re-election, he was able to complete two legislative terms in Congress until March 3, 1837 . These were overshadowed by discussions about President Jackson's policies. The main focus was on the implementation of the controversial Indian Removal Act , the nullification crisis with the state of South Carolina and the president's banking policy. Balie Peyton also joined the opposition to Jackson during his first term in office. When he was re-elected in 1834, he was a candidate for the National Republican Party .

After leaving the US House of Representatives, Peyton returned to practice as a lawyer. After he was appointed federal attorney for the eastern district of Louisiana in 1841 , he moved to New Orleans . He held this office for four years. During the Mexican-American War he served on the staff of General William J. Worth . Between 1849 and 1853, Peyton served as the American envoy to Chile, succeeding Seth Barton . He then moved to San Francisco , California , where he resumed legal practice. From 1853 to 1859 he was a public prosecutor in his new home. He then returned to Gallatin, Tennessee, where he practiced as a lawyer.

In the presidential election of 1860, Peyton was the electorate for John Bell , the candidate for the Constitutional Union Party . In 1866 he tried unsuccessfully to return to Congress. Between 1869 and 1871 he was a member of the Tennessee Senate . He also continued to practice as a lawyer. Balie Peyton died on August 18, 1878 on his farm near Gallatin, where he was also buried.

Web links

• Balie Peyton in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Balie Peyton at The Political Graveyard