Barnes Compton

Barnes Compton

Barnes Compton (born November 16, 1830 in Port Tobacco Village , Charles County , Maryland , †  December 4, 1898 in Laurel , Maryland) was an American politician . Between 1885 and 1894 he represented the state of Maryland twice in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Barnes Compton was the great-grandson of Congressman Philip Key (1750-1820). He attended Charlotte Hall Academy in Saint Mary's County and then studied at Princeton College until 1851 . Compton was born into a rich family of planters and was also active in this field. Before the Civil War , he was one of the largest slave owners in Maryland. In 1872 the plantation was sold due to financial difficulties as a result of the changed situation, including the abolition of slavery. Politically, he became a member of the Democratic Party . Between 1860 and 1861 he was a member of the Maryland House of Representatives ; in 1867, 1868, 1870 and 1872 he was a member of the State Senate , of which he was President in 1868 and 1870. From 1873 to 1874 he served as the Government of Maryland Tobacco Inspector; between 1874 and 1885 he was Minister of Finance ( Treasurer ) of his state. From 1880 he lived in Laurel.

In the congressional elections of 1884 Compton was elected to the United States House of Representatives in Washington, DC , in the fifth constituency of Maryland , where he succeeded Hart Benton Holton on March 4, 1885 . After being re-elected, he was initially able to complete two terms in Congress until March 3, 1889 . He was also elected in 1888, but could only exercise the new mandate between March 4, 1889 and March 20, 1890. On that day he had to cede his mandate to Sydney Emanuel Mudd , who had successfully appealed against the election result.

In the elections of 1890 Compton was again elected to Congress in the fifth district of his state, where he replaced Mudd on March 4, 1891. After being re-elected, he could remain in the US House of Representatives until his resignation on May 15, 1894. Following his tenure in Congress, Barnes was employed as a Naval Officer with the Baltimore Port Authority . He died in Laurel on December 4, 1898 and was buried in Baltimore.

Web links

• Barnes Compton in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Barnes Compton in the database of Find a Grave (English)