Harvey Magee Watterson

Harvey Magee Watterson (born November 23, 1811 in Bedford County , Tennessee , †  October 1, 1891 in Louisville , Kentucky ) was an American politician . Between 1839 and 1843 he represented the state of Tennessee in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Harvey Watterson enjoyed a classic school education. After a subsequent law degree and his admission to the bar, he began to work in Shelbyville in his new profession. He also published a newspaper in this city. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Democratic Party . In 1835 he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives. In the congressional elections of 1838 Watterson succeeded in the ninth electoral district of his state in the US House of Representatives in Washington , where he succeeded the future US President James K. Polk on March 4, 1839 . After re-election, he was able to complete two legislative terms in Congress until March 3, 1843 . During this time there were first discussions about the possible annexation of the Republic of Texas, which had been independent of Mexico since 1836 . In 1842 Watterson declined to run again.

After leaving the US House of Representatives, he spent a year on a diplomatic mission in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires . Between 1845 and 1847 he was a member and chairman of the Tennessee Senate . In the following years Watterson operated in the newspaper business. He was the owner and editor of several Tennessee newspapers. In June 1860 he served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Baltimore . In that year's presidential election , he served as elector for Stephen A. Douglas .

After the Civil War Watterson was appointed by President Andrew Johnson to a commission to analyze the situation in the states of the former confederation . He then practiced as a lawyer in the federal capital Washington for 14 years. He later moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where he again worked in the newspaper industry. Harvey Watterson died in this city on October 1st, 1891. His son Henry (1840-1921) was between 1876 and 1877 Congressman for the state of Kentucky.

Web links

• Harvey Magee Watterson in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Harvey Magee Watterson in the database of Find a Grave (English)